ff.*-*:  Pf";7-  ■'--v^-??3ri^/T rr'.'-^  '■     Y"-'v  ■''^" ?°^4w "^*'^- ^'^*"8|^^?P'^ 


MASTER 
NEGA  TIVE 
NO.  92-80531 


..^:     .■v...-ji.^-'.ia;:^a.-*-..sjiSts„ti£2afi*'--'^'''^ 


MICROFILMED  1992 
COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES/NEW  YORK 


as  part  of  the 
"Foundations  of  Western  Civilization  Preservation  Project" 


Funded  by  the 
NATIONAL  ENDOWMENT  FOR  THE  HUMANITIES 


Reproductions  may  not  be  made  without  permission  from 

Columbia  University  Library 


COPYRIGHT  STATEMENT 

The  copyright  law  of  the  United  States  -  Title  17,  United 
States  Code  -  concerns  the  making  of  photocopies  or  other 
reproductions  of  copyrighted  material... 

Columbia  University  Library  reserves  the  right  to  refuse  to 
accept  a  copy  order  if,  in  its  judgement,  fulffllment  of  the  order 
would  involve  violation  of  the  copyright  law. 


■-»! 


AUTHOR: 


AVEBURY,  JOHN 
LUBBOCK,  1st  BARON 


TITLE: 


...ANTS,  BEES,  AND 
WASPS;  A  RECORD  OF 


PLACE: 


EW  YORK 


DA  TE : 


1897 


■m 


■*^#sSf' 


Restrictions  fn  Use: 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
PRESERVATION  DEPARTMENT 

niHLIOGRAPHIC  MrCRGFORM  TARCFT 


Master  Negative  # 


Original  Material  as  Filmed  -  Existing  Bibliographic  Record 


D595.79 
Avl 


~r^- 


Av,..l.-:2-y.   •lohn   I.uMoc!;,    Int  Inn,.,,   1834-1C>-13. 
...   ^r.Lr,    h-,c2,   in.J  wa-ipn;   ^   rocor,]  of  obsor- 
'-^    nr.   un    ih^  hoMt,,   ^f  the   nocinl   hyrronortern    ' 


Jiyrronoptera 
...       .ev.    ed.      T'ov,  Yor!:,   Arplelon,    1G97. 

:<i.x.    413   P.      illun..    6   col.    pi  ,      19X  ^c. 
Unt^^rmtiorul    Gcionf.ific   cories.   v.    ^c) 

"List   of   the   pM-cipal  hco'-.-,  nnu  rnenolr.,   re- 
forroi   to":    p.    jxyiij-xi.. 

*>ioTi[i:n  C3P,-  -1  hl  D,cAL  L/snAiir    1S94 . 


TECHNICAL  MICI^OFORM  DATA 

FILM     SIZE:_Li6j/3:lryv^ 

IMAGE  PLACEMENT:    I A  ^1ia:>  IB     II B 

DATE     Fi:..MED:_alj(JojL. INITIALS__C^__ 

FILMED  BY:    RESEARCFi  PUBLICATIONS.  INC  WOODBRIDGe'cT 


REDUCTION     RATIO:_i,'_JC. 


c 


Association  for  information  and  image  IManagement 

1100  Wayne  Avenue.  Suite  1100 
Silver  Spring.  Maryland  20910 

301/587-8202 


Centimeter 


iUi 

1          2 

iiiiliiii  iiiiliii 

3 

1  II  iliii 

lIlu 

4 

iliiii 

5 

iiiiliiii 

6 

7         8 

iiiliiii  nil  II 

Tl 

1  1  [ 1  (1  1 

T 

Tn 

^ 

1  1  1 

1  1  1     (  1 

9      10     n 

liiiiliiiiliiiiliiiili 


TTT 


12       13 

iiliiiiliiiiiiiii 


14        15    mm 

iiliiiiliiiii 


TTT 


Inches 


.0 


I.I 


1.25 


L^      2.8 

2.5 

|60 

|5t 

Jr  |3j6 

2.2 
2.0 

1.8 

1.4 

1.6 

MflNUFfiCTURED   TO   RUM   STfiNDRRDS 
BY   APPLIED   IMRGE.     INC. 


e-i- 


?-*■'-! 


^n 


Phtioooplti) 


i./-^ 


PHILOSOPHI|\VIRTUTIS 

CONTINETET  OFFICII 

ETBENE^'IVENDI 

DISCIPI^INAAA 


O 


^olumbm  (Ltnilicrstli 


1 


I       . 


4  ' 


GIVEN     BY 


Pr<r|  W  T    V^tt'M 


i 


- ; ' -- 1. 


^Brt(Ht^ 


li*-«r>     I      >«   TlhrJ    '  JUIaM.-iUI  M-.__M«l«h«'^n    df    ^A-aK 


jirtitTittiiiihiffliai^'-  =■"  -'■'^--— ■"fe"^'--^*"*'^ 


*"'*■•     .     %«•    >li-«A.'?J#-C>^    J).*_* 


''^^ 


^pCt^T       I 


\. 


I 


THE  INTERNATIONAL  SCIENTIFIC  SERiE*?. 

VOLUME  XLII. 


■Ml*  I  iiTifftyBJiC  upm MiiiiiiT'ii  miiiiinnmim  f*— —*-^^-'- -■'*■- -■  - 


THE 


I 


/ 


/ 


INTERNATIONAL  SCIENTIFIC  SERIES. 


Each  book  complete  in  One  Volume,  12mo,  and  bonnd  in  Clotk 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

6. 
6. 


8. 

9. 

10. 
11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 
17 

18 


THE  FORMS  OF  WATER  IN  CLOUDS  AND  RIVERS,  ICE  AND  GLA- 
CIERS.   ByJ.TYNi.ALL,  LL.D.,F.R.8.    With  35  lUustrationB.    81.50. 
PHYSICS  AND  T'OLITICS  ;   or,  Thoughts  on  the  Application  of  the  Prin- 
ciplefl   of  "Natural  Selection"  and  -Inheritance"  to  Political  Society. 
By  Walter  Baoeiiot.    $1.50. 
FOODS.    By  EnwARn  Sm.tu,  M.  D.,  LL.  B.,  F.  R.  S.    With  numerous  lUus. 

trationn.    ^l.'ib. 
MIND  AND  BODY  :  The  Theories  of  their  Relation.    By  Alexander  Bain, 

LL.  I).     With  4  Illustrations.     $1.W. 
THE  STUDY  OF  SOCIOLOGY.    By  Herbert  Spencer.    $1.50. 
THE  NEW  CHEMISTRY.    By  Profe.bor  J.  P.  Cooke,  Harvard  University. 

With  31  Illustrations.    «2.00. 
THE   CONSERVATION   OF  ENERGY.    By  Balfour   Stewart,  M.A., 

LL.  D„  F.  R.  S.    With  14  Illustrations.    §1.50. 
ANIMAL  LOCOMOTION  ;  or.  Walking,  Swimming,  and  Flying.    By  J.  B. 

Pettiouew,  M.  I).,  F.  R.  S.,  etc.    With  130  Illustrations.    $1.7.5. 
RESPONSIBILITY  IN  MENTAL  DISEASE.    By  Henry  Maudsley,  M.D., 

g;i.5(t. 
THE  SCIENCE  OF  LAW.    By  Professor  Sheldon  Amos.    $1.75. 
ANIM\L  MECHANISM:  A  Treatise  on  Terrestrial  and  Aerial  Locomotion. 
By  Prof Jssor  E.  J.  Marey,  College  of  France.   With  117  Illustrations.  $1.75. 
THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONFLICT  BETWEEN  RELIGION  AND  SCI- 
ENCE.   By  J.  W.  Draper,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.    $1.75. 
THE  DOCTRINE  OF  DESCENT  AND  DARWINISM.    By  Professor  Oscar 

ScuMiPT,  Strashurg  University.     With  26  Illustrations.    $!.50. 
THF  (  HKMISTRY   OF   LIGHT  AND  PHOTOGR.XPHY  iN   THEIR  AP- 
PLICATION TO  ART.  SCIENCE,  AND  INDUSTRY.    By  Dr.  Hermann 
VooKL,  Royal  Industrial  Academy  of  lierlin.   With  100  Illustrations.    $2.00. 
FUNGI :  Their  Nature  and  Uses.    By  M.  C.  Cooke,  M.  A..  LL.  D.   Edited  by 

the  Rev.  M.  J.  Berkeley,  M.  A.,  F.  L.  S.    With  109  Illustrations.    $1.50. 
THE   LIFE   AND    (JROWTH   OF   LANGUAGE.    By  Professor  William 

DwioiiT  Whitney.  Yale  College.    $1  50. 
MONEY   AND  THE  MECHANISM   OF   EXCHANGE.    By  W.  Stanley 

Jevons,  M.  a  ,  F.  R.  S.    $1.75 
THE  NATURE  OF  LIGHT,  with  a  (Jeneral  Account  of  Physical  Optics.  By 
Dr.  Eugene  Lommel.    With  168  Illustrations  and  a  Tabic  of  Spectra  in 
Colors.    $2.00. 


s 


TJu  International  Scientific  -Seri«*.- (Continued, 


) 


19.  ANIMAL  PARASITES  AND  MESSMATES.    Bv  Profe^Por  P.  J.  Van  Ben- 

EDEN,  University  of  Louvain.    With  Si  Illiis»tration8.    gl-SO. 

20.  FERMENTATION.    By  Professor  P.  Sc.Otzenberger.    With  28  Illustra- 

tions.    $1.50. 

Sa.  THE  FIVE  SENSES  OF  MAN.    By  Professor  J ruu«  Beunstein,  Univer- 
sity of  Halle.    With  91  IllustrationH.    $1.75. 

22.  THE  THEORY  OF  SOUND  IN  ITS  RELATION  TO  MUSIC  By  Pro 
fes^or  PiETRo  BLA8ERNA,  Royal  University  of  Rome.  With' numerous 
Illustrations.     $1.50. 

""•  '  WUhf  pI''.'''''?.''''''  ANALYSIS.    By  .1.  Norman  Lockter,  F.  R.  S. 
With  7  Photographic  Illustrations  of  Sin^ctra,  and  .".i  other  Illustrations. 

24.  A  HISTORY  OF  THE  GROWTH   OF  THE  STEAM-ENGINE.    By  Pro- 

fessor R.  H.  Thurston,  Cornell  University.   With  l«>UlluHtration..    8250 

25.  EDUCATION  AS  A  SCIENCE.    By  Alexander  Ba,n,  LL.  D.    $1-75. 

26.  STUDENTS'    TEXT-BOOK  OF  COLOR  :   or,    Mod.rn   Chromatics.     With 

Applications  to  Art  and  Industry.     By  Prof.Hsor  ()«.,en  N.  Rood,  Colum- 
bia College.     With  130  Illustrations.    $2.00. 

S7.  THE  HUMAN  SPECIES.     By  Professor  A.   de  QrAxuEFAOEs,  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  Paris.     $2.00. 

28.  THE  CRAYFISH  :    An   Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Znfllogy.    By   T    H 

Huxley,  F.  R.  S.    With  82  Illustrations.    $1.75. 

29.  THE   ATOMIC    THEORY.     By  Professor  A.  Wurtz.      Translated  by  E 

Cleminshaw,  F.  C.  S.    With  Illustrative  Chart.    $1.50. 
aO.  ANIMAL  LIFE  AS  AFFECTED  BY  THE  NATURAL  CONDITIONS  OF 
EXISTENCE.     By  Professor    Karl    Semper,   University  of  WQrzhurg. 
With  lOG  Illustrations  and  2  Maps.    $2  0(). 

81.  SIGHT  :  An  Expo.-itlon  of  the  Principles  of  Monocular  and  Binocular  Vision 

By  Professor  Joseph  Le   Conte,  LL.D.,  University  of  California.    Willi 
132  Illustrations.    $1,50. 

82.  GENERAL  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  MUSCLES  AND  NERVES.    By  Professor 

I.  Rosenthal,  University  of  Erlangen.    With  75  Illustrations.    $1.50. 
aa  ILLUSIONS  :  A  Psycholojrical  Study.    By  James  Sully.    $1  50. 

84.  THE  SUN.    By  Professor  C.  A.  YorNo,  College  of  New  Jersey.    With  R3 
Illustrations.    $2.00. 

86.  VOLCANOES  ;   What  they  Are  and  What  th.-y  Teach.     By  Professor  Jo„m 
W.  JuDD,  F.  R  S.,  Royal  School  of  Mines.     With  W)  Illustrations.     $2 IK). 

86.  SUICIDE  :  An  Essay  in  Comparative  Moral  SUitistics.     By  Professor  Henry 

MoRSELLi,   M.  D.,  Royal   University,   Turin.       With  4  Statistical   Map- 
$1.75.  *    • 

87.  THE  FORMATION  OF  VEGETABLE  MOULD,  THROUGH  THE  AC- 

TION OF  WORMS.      With   Observations  on  their  HahilH.      By  CHAni.Bf> 
Darwin,  LL.  D.,  F.  R.  8.     With  15  Illustrations.    $1  50. 


The  Inttmational  Scientific  -SfTi€«.— (Continued.) 


88.  THE  CONCEPTS  AND  THEORIES    OF  MODERN  PHYSICS.    By  J.  B. 
Stallo.    $1.75. 

39.  THE   BR.\IN  AND  ITS   FUNCTIONS.    By  J.   Luys,  Hospice  SalpCtridre, 

Paris.    With  G  Illustrations.    $1.50. 

40.  MYTH  AND  SCIENCE.    By  Tito  Vignoll    $1.50. 

41.  DISEASES  OF  MEMORY  :   An  Es.«ay  in  the  Positive  Psychology.    By  Tn. 

lliBOT.  author  of  "  Heredity.'    $1.53. 

42.  ANTS,  BEES.  AND  WASPS.      A  Record  of  Observations  of  the  Habits  of 

the  Social  Hymenoptera.    By  Sir  John  Lubbock,  Bart.,  F.  R.  S.,  etc.  $2.00. 

43.  THE  SCIENCE  OF  POLITICS.    By  Professor  Sheldon  Amos.    $1.75. 

44.  ANIMAL  INTELLIGENCE.    By  George  J.  Romanes,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  S.  $1.75. 

45.  MAN  BEFORE  MET.XLS.    By  Professor  N.  Jolt,  Science  Faculty  of  Tou- 

louse.    With  148  Illustrations.     $1.75. 

46.  THE    ORGANS    OF    SPEECH    AND    THEIR    APPLICATION    IN    THE 

FORM.\TION    OF  ARTICULATE    SOUNDS.      By  Professor  G.  H.  voN 
Meyer,  University  of  Zttrich.     With  47  Illustrations.    $1.75. 

47.  FALL.VCIES  :  A  View  of  Logic  from  the    Practical  Side.      By   Alpbbd 

SiDGWicK,  B.  A.,  Oxon.     $1.75. 

48.  ORIGIN  OF  CULTIVATED  PLANTS.    By  Alphonse  DE  Candollb.  $2.00. 

49.  JELLY-FISH,   STARFISH,  AND  SEA-URCHINS.    A  Research  on  Primi- 

tive Nervous  Systems.     By  George  J.  Romanes,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  S.    With  G3 
Illustrations.    $1.75. 

50.  THE  COMMON  SENSE  OP  THE  EXACT  SCIENCES.    By  William  Kino- 

DON  Clifford.    With  100  Fiiiures.    $1..50. 

51.  PHYSICAL  EXPRESSION  :  Its  Modes  and  Principles.    By  Francis  War- 

ner, M.  D.,  Assistant  Physician,  London  Hospital.    With  51  illustrations. 
$1.75. 

52.  ANTHUOPC^II)    APES.     By   Professor  Robert  Hartmann    University  of 

Berlin.     With  03  Illustrations.     $1.7.5. 

53.  THE  M.\MM.\LIA  IN  THEIR   REL.VTION  TO  PRIMEVAL  TIMES.    By 

Professor  Oscar  Schmidt,  University  of  Stra.sburg.    With  51  Illustrations. 
$1..'H). 

W.  COMPAR.VTIVE  LITER.VTURE.  By  Professor  H.  M.  Posnett,  M.  A.,  Uni- 
versity College,  Auckland.     $1.75. 

55.  EARTIIC^IAKES  ANDOTHEK  EAKTII  MOVEMENTS.  By  Professor  John 

Milne,  ImiHrial  College  of  Engineering,  Tokio.     With  38  Figures.     $1.75. 

56.  MICROBES,  FERMENTS,  AND  MOULDS.    By  E.  L.  Trouessart.    With 

107  Illustrations.     S1..50. 

67.  THE  GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  GEOLOGICAL  DISTRIBUTION  OF  ANI- 
MALS. By  Professor  Anoelo  llKiLPRiN,  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
Philadelphia.     $2.00. 

fie.  WEATHER.  A  Popular  Exposition  of  the  Nature  of  Weather  Changes  from 
Day  to  Day.    With  l)G  Diagrams.    By  Hon.  Ralph  Abeucrombt.    $1.75. 


s.-^ji 


The  International  Scientific  Serieg.— (Continued.) 


S9. 
GO. 
61. 
C2. 
63. 

M. 

65. 

06. 
C7. 

68. 
69. 

70. 
71. 
72. 
73. 
74. 
75. 

76. 


ANIMAL  MAGNETISM.  By  Alfred  Binet  and  Chaules  F^Ri,  Assistant 
Physician,  Hospice  SalpStriere,  Paris.    With  15  FiKures.    $1.50. 

INTERNATIONAL  LAW,  with  Materials  for  a  Code  of  International  Law. 
By  Professor  Leone  Levi,  Kinj^'s  College.  London.    SL.'iO. 

THE  GEOLOGICAL  UISTORY  OF  PLANTS.  With  79  Illustrations.  By 
Sir  J.  William  Dawson,  LL.  D.,  F.  R.  S.    $1.75. 

ANTHROPOLOGY.    An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Man  and  Civilization. 

By  Edward  B.  Tylor,  D.  C.  L.,  F.  R.  S.    With  78  Illustrationa.    $2.00. 
THE  ORIGIN  OF  FLORAL    STRUCTURES,  THROUGH   INSECT  AND 

OTHER  AGENCIES.    By  the  Rev.  Georoe  Henslow,  M.A.,  etc.    With 

88  Illustrations.     $1.75. 

THE  SENSES,  INSTINCTS,  AND  INTELLKiENCE  OF  ANIMALS,  WITH 
SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO  INSECTS.  By  Sir  JouN  LuBBotK,  Bart., 
F.  R.  S.,  etc.    With  118  Illustrations.     $1.7'5. 

THE  PRIMITIVE  FAMILY  IN  ITS  ORIGIN  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 
By  Dr.  C.  N.  Starcke,  University  of  Copenhagen.    $1.75. 

PHYSIOLOGY  OF  BODILY  EXERCISE.     By  F.  Laorange,  M.  D.     $1-75. 

THE    COLORS   OF   ANIMALS  :    Their   Meaniufr   and   Use.      By  Edwahd 

Baonall  Poulton,  F.  R.  S.     With  36  Illustrations  and  1  Colored  Plate. 

$1.75. 

SOCIALISM  :  New  and  Old.  By  Professor  William  Graham,  M.  A.,  Queen's 
College,  Belfast.    $1-75. 

MAN  AND  THE  GLACIAL  PERIOD.  By  Professor  G.  Frederick  Wrioiit, 
D.  D.,  Oberlin  Theological  Seminary.  With  108  Illustrations  and  3  Maps. 
$1.75. 

HANDBOOK  OF  GREEK  AND  LATIN  PALAEOGRAPHY.  By  Edward 
Maunde  Thompson,  D.  C.  L.,  etc.    $i.OO. 

A  HISTORY  OF  CRUSTACEA.  Recent  Malacostraca.  By  the  Rev. 
Toomas  R.  R.  Stebbino,  M.  A.     With  51  Illustrations.     §2  00. 

RACE  AND  LANGUAGE.  By  Professor  Andue  Lefevke,  Anthropological 
School,  Paris.    $1.50. 

MOVEMENT.  By  E.  J.  Marey.  Translated  by  Enir  Pritciiaud,  M.  A., 
M.  B.,  B.  Ch.  (Oxon.).     With  200  Illustrations.     $1.75. 

ICE -WORK,  PRESENT  AND  PAST.  By  T.  G.  Bonney,  D.  Sc,  F.  R.  S., 
F.  S.  A.,  etc..  Professor  of  Geology  at  University  College,  London.     $1.50. 

WHAT  IS  ELECTRICITY  ?  By  John  Trowbridge,  S.  D.,  Runiford  Pro- 
fessor and  Lecturer  on  the  Applications  of  Science  to  the  Useful  Arts,  Har- 
vard University.    Illustrated.    $l..'i0. 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ART  OF  MUSIC.  By  C.  Hubert  U.  Parry. 
D.  C.L.,  M.  A.,  etc.     $1.75. 


New  York:   D.  ATFLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


Plate  i 


Fig,  I.    Lasius  niger      ^. 

2.  "       flavus      " 

3.  Formica  fusca  " 


4.  Myrmica   ruginodis      ^. 

5.  Polyergus   rufescens    ** 

6.  Formica  sangulnea      ** 


THE   INTERNATIOXAL  SCIENTIFIC  SERIES. 


ANTS,  BEES,  AND  WASPS, 


A    RECORD   OF  OBSERVATIONS 


ox    THK 


HABITS  OF  THE  SOCIAL  HYMENOPTEKA. 


BY 


Silt  JOHN  LUBBOCK,  Bakt,  M.P.,  F.R.S.,  D.C.L,  LL.D., 


jn:i'isi:n  i:ihth>\. 


NEW    YORK: 
D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY 

1807. 


I 


PREFACE. 


I'nis  volume  contains  the  record  of  various  experimenta 
made  with  ants,  bees,  and  wasps  during  the  past  ten 
years.  Other  occupations  and  many  interruptions, 
politic.ll  and  professional,  have  prevented  me  from 
making  them  so  full  and  complete  as  I  had  hoped. 
My  parliamentary  duties,  in  particular,  have  absorbed 
most  of  my  time  just  at  the  season  of  year  when  these 
insects  can  be  most  profitably  studied.  I  have,  there- 
fore, whenever  it  seemed  necessary,  carefully  recorded 
the  month  during  which  the  observations  were  made ; 
for  the  instincts  and  behaviour  of  ants,  bees,  and  wasps 
are  by  no  means  the  same  throughout  the  year.  My 
object  has  been  not  so  much  to  describe  tlie  usual 
habits  of  these  insects  as  to  test  their  mental  conditioii 
and  powers  of  sense. 


VI 


Pkeface. 


PREFACE. 


Tii 


Although  the  observationg  of  Huber,  Forel,  McCook, 
and  others  are  no  doubt  perfectly  trustworthy,  there  are 
a  number  of  scattered  stories  about  ants  which  are  quite 
un worthy  of  credence ;  and  there  is  also  a  large  class 
in  which,  although  the  facts  may  be  correctly  recorded, 
the  inferences  drawn  from  them  are  very  quesstionable. 
I  have  endeavoured,  therefore,  by  actual  experiments 
which  any  one  may,  and  I  hope  others  will,  repeat 
and  verify,  to  throw  some  light  on  these  interesting 
questions. 

The  principal  point  in  which  my  mode  of  experi- 
menting has  differed  from  that  of  previous  observers 
has  been  that  I  have  carefully  marked  and  watched 
particular  insects  ;  and  secondly,  that  I  have  had  nests 
under  observation  for  long  periods.  No  one  before  had 
ever  kept  an  ants'  nest  for  more  than  a  few  months. 
I  have  one  now  in  my  room  which  has  been  under 
constant  observation  ever  since  1874,  i.e.  for  mon^  than 
peven  years.' 

»  I  may  add  that  these  ants  are  st'll  (Marcli   1882)  alive  and 
well.     The  queens  at  least  are  now  eight  years  old,  if  not  more. 


I  had  intended  to  make  my  observations  principally 
on  bees ;  but  I  soon  found  that  ants  were  more  con- 
venient for  most  experimental  purposes,  and  I  think 
they  have  also  more  power  and  flexibility  of  mind. 
They  are  certainly  fiir  calmer,  and  less  excitable. 

I  do  not  attempt  to  give  anything  like  a  full  lifo- 
history  of  ants,  but  I  have  reproduced  the  substance  of 
two  Royal  Institution  lectures,  which  may  serve  as  an 
introduction  to  the  subject.  INIany  of  the  facts  there 
recorded  will  doubtless  be  familiar  to  most  of  my 
readers,  bat  without  the  knowledge  of  them  the  ex- 
periraentE  described  in  the  subsequent  chapters  would 
scarcely  be  intelligible. 

I  have  given  a  few  plates  illustrating  some  of  the 
species  to  which  reference  has  been  most  frequently 
made  ;  pHecting  Lithography  (as  I  was  anxious  that  the 
figures  should  be  coloured),  and  having  all  the  species 
of  ants  drawn  to  one  scale,  although  I  was  thus  obliged 
in  some  measure  to  sacrifice  the  sharpness  of  outline, 
and  the  more  minute  details.     I  am  indebted  tj  Mr, 


1 


Vlll 


PKEFACE. 


Bates,  Dr.  Gunther,  Mr.  KiKUY,aiid  Mr.  Watekuouse, 
for  their  kind  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  the 
plates. 

As  regards  bees  and  wasps,  I  liave  confined  myself 
for  want  of  space  to  the  simple  record  of  my  own 
observations. 

I  am  fully  conscious  that  experiments  conducted 
as  mine  have  been  leave  much  to  be  desired,  and 
are  scarcely  fair  upon  the  ants.  In  their  native 
haunts  and  under  natural  conditions,  more  especially 
in  warmer  climates,  they  may  well  be  expected  not 
only  to  manifest  a  more  vivid  life,  but  to  develop 
higher  powers. 

I  think,  however,  that  my  volume  will  at  least  show 
the  great  interest  of  the  subject,  and  the  uumeroug 
problems  which  still  remain  to  be  solved. 

High  Elms,  Down,  Kent: 
Ootoler  18,  1881 


CONTENTS. 


CriAPTJOU  I 

JNTRODUCnON. 

rosition  of  ants  in  the  Animal  Kinrjdom — Ants  divided  into 
tlirce  families — Number  of  species — Mode  of  observation — 
Nests — Mode  of  marking  ants— Stac:es  in  life  of  ants — Es^g:, 
larva,  pupa,  imago — Length  of  life — Structure  of  ants — 
Head,  tliorax,  abdomen,  antenna),  eyes,  ocelli,  mouth  parts, 
legs,  wings,  sting — Origin  of  the  sting— Character  of  ants — 
Wars  among  ants — Modes  of  fighting— Queen  ants— Workers 
— ^DifTerent  classes  of  workers — Tiie  honey  ant — Soldiers — 
Origin  of  the  soldiers — Division  of  labour — Habitations  of 
ants — Communities  of  ants — Food — Encmi*  s— Character — 
Industry — Games — Cleanliness  .  .  .  . 


CHAPTER  II. 

FOmrATlON  A.YD   MATNTENAXCE   OP  NESTS. 

Foundation  of  new  nests— Doubts  on  the  subject — Views  of 
Hubrr,  r.lanchard,  Forel,  St.  Fargeau,  Ebrard -Experiments 
with  queens-  Foundation  of  a  nest  of  Mi/nnica  by  two 
tjueens— Adoption  of  queens— Fertility  of  workers— Eggs 
laid  by  fertile  workers  always  produce  males — Queens  seldom 
j)n)duced  in  captivity — Origin  of  ditference  between  queens 
and  workers  — Longevity  of  ants — Arrangement  of  chambers 
in  a  nest      Division  of  labour     The  honey  ant 


PAOI 


30 


iipif- 


•"^  ft>'.i*t^r'5^ . 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  III. 
ON  THE  RhLATION  OF  AXTS  TO  PLANTS. 

Flowers  and  insects— Ants  not  so  important  in  relation  to 
flowers  as  bees,  but  not  without  influence — Ants  seldom 
promote  cross-fertilisation,  and  hence  injurious  to  llowers — 
Modes  by  which  they  are  excluded  —  Uelt  —  Kerner  — 
Aquatic  plants  —  Moats  —  Dijfsacus  —  Slippery  surfaces — 
Gentian,  snowdrop,  cyclamen  —  Concealment  of  honey — 
Antirrhinum,  Linaria,  Campanula,  Jianunculus,  Laniium, 
Primula,  Geraniuin,  &c.— Protection  of  honey  by  thicket* 
of  spines  or  hairs — Protection  by  viscid  secretions — Silene^ 
Stnecio,  Linnaa,  Polygonum,  kc. — Alilky  juice — Lactuca^ 
Nectaries  on  leaves — Leaf-cutting  ants— Ants  as  tree  guards 
— Importance  of  ants  in  destroying  other  insects — Har- 
vesting ants— Solomon — The  Mischna — Meer  Hassan  Ali — 
6y kes — Moggridge — Agricultural  ants — Lincecum— McCook 


PAOl 


50 


CHAPTER  IV. 
RELATIONS  TO  OTHER  ANIMALS. 

Hunting  ants— The  Driver  ants — Ecitons— Insects  mimicking 
ants — Enemies  of  ants  — Parisites — Mites— /^//^rrt— Domestic 
animals  of  ants — Aphides — Eggs  of  A/thidcg  kcjit  tlirough 
the  winter  by  ants — Blind  beetles— Pets -Progress  among 
ants — KelatiOnsof  ants  to  one  another-  Stinnmma — SolannjJtis 
— Slave-making  ants —  Formica  sanguiniui —  Polyci'ijug  — 
Expeditions  of  Pobjcrgus — Pobjcrgux  fed  by  tie  slaves — 
Strongylognathus — Degradation  of  Strougylig nathun  —  Aver- 
^a^r«— Explanation  of  the  present  state  of  St  rangy  lognnthut 
and  AnirgateA — Progress  among  ants  —  I'hases  of  life — 
Hunting,  pastoral,  and  agricultural  sjiecies 


63 


CHAPTER  V. 
BEHAVIOUR  TO  RELATIONS. 

Mr.  G rote  on  *  Moral i«^y  as  a  necessity  of  society' — IJehaviour 
of  ants   to  one  another — Statement*  of   previous  writers: 


CONTENTS. 

Latreille,  St.  Fargcau,  Forel — DifTerenceof  character  among 
ants  —  Experiments  —  Isolated  combats — Neglect  of  com- 
panions if  in  trouble — Experiments  with  insensible  ants — 
Drowned  ants — Buried  ants — Contrast  of  behaviour  to 
friends  and  strangers — Instances  of  kindness — A  crippled 
ant — A  dead  queen — Pehaviour  to  chloroformed  friends — 
IJehaviour  to  intoxicated  friends 


SI 


PAQB 


93 


CHAPTER  VI. 


RECOGNITION  OF  FRIENDS. 


Number  of  nnts  in  a  community — They  all  recognise  one  another 
— All  others  are  enemies — Recognition  after  separation — 
Strange  ants  never  toler.TAcd  in  a  nest — Experiments— Be- 
haviour to  one  another  after  a  separation  of  more  than  a 
year — Recognition  unmistakable — How  are  they  recognised  ? 
— Some  naturalists  have  suggested  by  scent,  some  by  a 
pass- word — Experiments  with  intoxicated  ants — With  pupns 
removed  from  the  nest  and  subsequently  returned— Separa- 
tion of  a  nest  into  two  halves,  and  recognition  as  friends  by 
the  ants  in  each  half  of  young  bred  in  the  other  half— Pupje 
tended  by  ants  from  a  dilTerent  nest  treated  as  friends  in 
the  nest  from  which  they  were  taken,  and  as  strangers  if 
put  into  the  nest  of  their  nurses — Recognition  neither  per- 
sonal nor  by  means  of  a  pass- word       .  •  .  . 


Ill 


CHAPTER  VII. 


POWER  (>F  COMMUNICATION 


8tat«mon^s  of  previous  writers  :  Kirby  and  Spence,  Hubcr, 
Knuiklin,  Dugardin,  Forel — Habit  of  bringing  friends  to 
food— Except ional cases— Experiments  to  determine  whettie! 
ants  are  brought  or  directed  to  stores  of  food — Scent— Night 
— Ex|>erim(>nta  with  dilferent  quantities  of  food — Anti 
which  returned  empty-handed  and  brouglit  friends  to 
assist  .  . 


>5S 


xu 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  SENSES  OF  ANTS. 


FAQI 


SlOHT: — Difficulty  of  understandins:  how  insects  sec — Number 
of  eyes  —  Two  theories — Views  of  Miillcr,  Grenacher, 
Lowne,  Claparcde — Appreciation  of  colour — Sensitiveness 
to  violet— Perception  of  ultra-violet  rays.  IIearixg  : — An- 
tennae regarded  by  many  entomologists  as  organs  of  hearing 
—  Opinions  as  to  whether  ants,  bees,  and  was[)S  hear — 
General  opinion  that  bees  and  wasps  can  hear — Huber  and 
Forel  doubt  in  the  case  of  ants — E.xpcriments  with  ants  — 
Forel's  observations  — Colonel  Long — Mr.  Tait — Structure  of 
anterior  tibia.    The  Sense  of  Smell         .  .  .188 


CHAPTER  IX. 
G  EN  Eli  A  L  INTELLIGENCE 

Statements  of  previous  writers — Economy  of  labour — Experi- 
ments as  to  ingenuity  in  overcoming  obstacles  and  econo- 
mising labour — Experiments  with  bridges,  embankments, 
and  moats — Earthworks — Ingenuity  in  building  nests — 
Difficulty  in  finding  their  way — Experiments  with  movable 
objects — Sense  of  direction — Experiments  with  rotating 
disks — Experiments  with  rotating  table — Inliucnce  of  light  2-^6 

CHAPTER  X. 
BEES. 


Difficulty  experienced  by  bees  in  finding  their  way — Communi- 
cation between  bees — l>ecs  do  not  by  any  means  always 
summon  one  another  when  they  have  discovered  a  store  of 
food— IJees  in  strange  liives — Infatuation  of  bees — Want  of 
affection — Behaviour  to  queen— Sentinels — Tlie  sense  of 
hearing — The  sense  of  colour— Experiments  with  coloured 
papers — Power  of  distinguishing  colours — Preference  for 
blue— Influence  of  bees  on  the  colours  of  flowers — lilue 
flowers — Paucity  of  blue  flowers — Blue  flowers  of  compara- 
tively recent  origin 


274 


CONTENTS. 


Xlll 


CHAPTER  XI. 
WASPS. 


)>Acia 


Oommunication  among  wasps- Like  bees,  they  by  no  means 
invariably  bring  companions  when  they  have  discovered  a 
store  of  foml  — Courage  of  wnsps— Po/vctra  f/allica- A  tame 
wasp— Power  of  distinguishing  colours— Wasps  less  guided 

by  colour  than  bees— Industry  of  wasps — A   day's  work 

Directness  of  flight  of  wasps   .  ,  .311 


AiM'KNDICE.S 


328 


"f  r   *^_  \:-iiJBii.,.tA'.**'o 


LIST   OF  n.LUSTRATIONS 


PLATE   I. 


Fig.  1.  Lasiva  iiifjrr  ^- , 
«,     2.        ,,      Jf<rni»  <J. 
„     3.  Formica  f II tea  ^. 


¥\^.  4.  Miirmira  rv^ivodh  ^. 
„  6.  Pohjcnju^  riifesccus  $ . 
„     6.  Formica  sanyinnea  5. 


PLATE   II. 


Fipr.  1.  Atfa  hnrhara  ^  major. 
M     2.      ,,  „  9  mi'tor. 

„     H.  Phddolc  mcgacephala  ^ 
major. 


Fig.  4.  PJicidole  megacephala    5 
mijwr. 
„     5.  Formica  rufa. 


PLATE    III. 


Fig.  1.   (Ki'odoma    erphilotts    f 
viajor. 
„     2.   (FjCodi*ma    cejdialotcs    ? 


Fig.  .'I.  Stnuimma  Wi'sttroodii  ^ 
„     4.  Sidi'tiojfsif  fiigax  i^. 


PLATE   IV. 


Fig.  \.   t'nniponoliia  inflattis  ^. 
„     2.   'Jet  ra  mo /ill  IN  CfVKjti- 

turn  ^. 


Fig.  ."J.    Strwiffiflngjiathiis    teata- 
ecus  ^'. 
„     Anergates  atratnlu*  9 


PLATE   V. 


Fig.  1.  iMxiiif  JtaruJt  ^. 

»•     ^-  »»            t»         o« 

M     -^  .,           ».       larva. 

.,4.  „           „       ;;wy>//. 

Fij;.  6.  /{/'ckifi  a  I  hi  nog. 


„     6.  Aphis. 

„     7.  PUityartJirug     Hoffman- 

seggii. 
„     CUirigcr  foreoJaiits 


■ajftWiTX  w.a---..i--:a  -MifetrtiiiMaiBifahteSfatWjitiim^ 


LIST   OF   THE 


PKINCIPAL    BOOKS    AND    MEMOIES 


REFEIillED   TO. 


iNDRfi,  E. 

nATBS,  Tl   W. 
r.KLT,  T.     . 
llEKT,    P^UL 

Hlanciiakd,  E. 

IJOISSIEB  DE   SAUV 

nOCHNKR,  L. 
liUCKLKY,  S.  I{. 

BURMEISTER,  H. 

Curtis,  J 

Darwin,  C. 
Delpino,  F. 
Dewitz,  K. 

dcjardin,  f. 
Edwards,  H. 

Elditt,  h.  L. 

KSIERT,  C. 


Desc.  des  Fourmis  d'Europc.    Rev.et  Mag.  de 

Zool.,  1874. 
The  Naturalist  on  the  Amazons. 
.  The  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua. 
.  •  Les  animaux    voicnt-ils   les   momes  rayons 
lumineux  que  nous? '  Arch,  de  Physiol,  18GD. 
.  Metamorphoses  of  Insects.    Trans,  by  Duncan. 
AtJKs,  I'Abb'i.       L'origine   du    Miel.  Journ.    de 
Physique,  vol.  i. 
.  Mind  in  Animals. 
.  On   Myrmica'molefaciens.     Proc.  Acad.  Nat. 

Sci.  Philadelphia,  ISGO. 
.  Manual  of  Entomolo,o:y. 
On  the  Genus  Myrmica.     Trans.  Linn.  Soc., 
1854. 
.  Origin  of  Species. 

.  Sui rapporti  delle  Formiche colle Tettigometre. 
.  Ueber  Rau  und  Entwickelungdes  Stachels  der 
Ameisen.  Zoits.  f.  Wiss.  Zoologie,  vol.  xxviii. 
.  Obs.  sur  les  Aboilles.  Ann.  des  Sci.  Nat.,  1862. 
.  Notes  on    the    Honey-making   Ants.      Proc 
California  Acad.,  1873. 
Die  Araeisen-Colonien  a.  deren  Mitbewohner 
Saggio  di  un  ordinamento  naturale  dei  Mir 
micidei. 


.j'-'-f.^  -  ■■-  i':/sm^'-\'.  ■Mfflaaw-.-v 


XVlll 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  AND  MKMOIRS. 


Emeuy,  C. 

FOREL,  A. 
GELIEU,  J.  DB 

iJoLLD,  Rev.  W. 
Gkahkk,  Vitus 

Gredler,  V.     . 

GUI  MM 

Uagens.  Ilcrr  voN 


llKiii:,  O.   . 

llLDER,  P. 

Hlxley,  T.  H. 
Kku.neu,  Dr.  A. 

KlRHY   AND   SpENCE 

Landuis,  Dr.  H. 

Langstrotii,  L.  L.  . 
Latreile,  p.     . 
Lespes,  C. 

Lixcecum,  Gideon  . 

Long,  Col.  C.  G. 
Lubbock,  Sir  J. 


f» 


Ldsd,  M 


Lc  Formichc  ipogci.     Ann    Mus.  Civ.  di  St 

Nat.  di  Geneva. 
Fouriuis  de  la  Suisse. 
Le  Conservatciir  dcs  Abcilles. 
Accouut  of  En<2:lish  Ants. 
Die    Tynipanuleu-Sinncsapparjitc     der     Or- 

thopteren. 
Der  zoologischo  Garten. 

Die  Myrmecophilen.  Stettin.  Ent.  Ztits.,  1845. 
Ueber      Aiueiscujjiiste.    Uerlin.    Ent.    Zc-its., 

18C5. 
Ueber    Ameisen    rait    pfcmischten    Colonien. 

r.eilin.  Ent.  Zcits.,  18«;7. 
Die    Hausameiijen   Madeiras.     Ziirich.    Nat. 

Ges.,  1852. 
Natural  History  of  Ants. 
On  the  llci>rodiictiun  of  Aphis.     Trans.  Linn. 

Soc,  xxii.  18i>y. 
Flowers  and  their  Unbidden  G  uests.      Trans. 

by  O-^le. 
Introd.  to  Entomology. 
Tliierstimmen ;  also  Zeits.    fiir   Wiss.   Zool. 

1807. 
Treatise  on  the  Honey  r>ee. 
Hist.  Nat.  des  Fourmis. 
Sur  les  Moeurs  de  Loint'chusa  parad«.)xa.  Ann. 

des  Sci.  Nat.,  18(;3. 
On  the  Agricultural   Ant   of    Texas.      Linn. 

Journal,  1801. 
Central  Africa. 
Or.  the  Anatomy  of  Ants.     Trans.  Linn.  Soc., 

1879. 
Ova  and  Pseudova  of   Lisects.     Phil.  Trans., 

1858. 
Obs.  on  Ants,  Boos,  and  Wasps.     Parts    1-0, 

Linn.  Journ.,  1874-81. 
On    Some   Points   in  the   Anatomy  of   Ants 

Micros.  Soc,  1877. 
Lettres  sur  les  Habitudes  dequelques  Fourmii 

du  IJresil.    Ann.  des  Sci.  Nat.,  xxiii.  1831. 


«i;^'.     ■-  ■,'>'-V. 


LIST   OF   BOOKS  AND   MEMOIRS. 


XIX 


MXliKEL,  F. 

Mayu,  Dr.  G.  L. 

»»  • 

Mei.neut,  F. 

Meyer,  J 

MOller,  p.  W.J 

OllMEROD,   E.  L. 

Ua.mp.ekt,  M.   . 
Robert,  E. 

Roger,  J. 


MuC^ooK,  n.  C.  Note  on   Adoption  of  a  Queen    Ant.     Proc 

Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  1879. 
M  .  On  the  Nat.  His.  of  the  Agricultural  Ant  of 

Texas. 
„  The  Honey  Ant  of  Texas. 

Beit,  zur  Kenntniss  der  unter  Ameisen  leben- 

den  Insecten.     Germars  Zeit.  Ent.,  1841. 
Euroj..  Formiciden. 
Leben  und  Wirken  der  einh.  Ameisen. 
Bidrag  til  de   Danske  Myrers  Naturhisturie. 

Kiobenh.;ven,  Dansk.  vid.  Selsk.,  1861. 
Ueber  conconlose  Ameisen puppen.     Stettin 

Ent.  Zeit.,  1854. 
Beiiriige   zur   Naturgeschichte   der    Gattung 

Claviger.     Germar's  Mag.  de  Zool.,  1818. 
Natural  History  of  AVasps. 
Mceurs  des  Fourmis. 
Observations    sur   les    Moeurs   des    Fourmis. 

Ann.  des  Sci.  Nat,  1842. 
Beit,     zur     Kennt.    der    Ameisenfauna    der 
Mittelnieerliinder.    Berlin.  Ent.  Zeit.,  1857. 
St.  Fargeau,  Lepeletier.  Hist.  Nat.  dcs  Hymenopt6res. 
Saunders,  Edward  Brit.  Heterogyna    and   Foss.   Hymenoptera. 

Trans.  Ent.  Soc,  1880. 
Savage,  T.  S.    ,  On  the  Habits  of  Driver  Ants.    Trans.  Ent. 

Soc,  1847. 
SCTIENK,  Professor    .  Beschr.  Nassau.  Araeisenartcn.    Stettin.  Ent. 

Zeit ,  185S. 
Siebold,  C.  T.  von.  Ueber  das  Stimm.     und  Gchororgan  der  Or- 

tlioptcren.     Weissmann's  Arch.,  1844. 
Cat.  of  Brit.  Foss.  Hymenoptera. 
Essay  on  British    Forraicidae.      Trans.   Ent. 

Soc,  N.S.  vol.  iii.  p.  98. 
Account  of  Pheidole  providens.     Trans.  Ent. 

Soc,  183fi. 
Sur  une  nouv.  Esj^ece  de  Fourmi  du  Mexique, 
Bull,  de  I'Acad.  de  Sci.  de  Bruxelles,  1838. 
,  Modem  Classification  of  Insects. 
Obs.  on  Typhloponc.     Ann.  Mag.  Nat.  Hist., 
1841. 


Smith,  F. 


ti 


SVKES,  Col, 

Wesmael,  C. 
West  WOOD,  J.  O. 


.  ■„■'■.■  "--v-t" 


-  :-~-j.' .  ^l,l^^.»-^«J^a>a^S.! 


ANTS,  BEES,  AND  WASPS. 


-♦o*- 


CHAPTER 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Antliropoid  apes  no  doubt  approach  nearer  to 
man  in  bodily  structure  tlian  do  any  other  animals; 
but  when  we  consider  the  habits  of  Ants,  their  social 
organi.sation,  their  large  communities,  and  elaborate 
habitations;  their  roadways, their  possession  of  domestic 
animals,  and  even,  in  some  cases,  of  slaves,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  thev  have  a  fair  claim  to  rank  next  to 
man  in  the  scale  of  intelligence.  They  present,  more- 
over, not  only  a  most  interesting  but  also  a  very  ex- 
tensive field  of  study.  They  are  divided  into  three 
families:  the  Formicidir,  Poneridie,  and  ^Myrmicidoe, 
comprismg  many  genera  and  a  large  number  of  species. 
In  this  country  we  have  rather  more  than  thirty  kinds  ; 
but  ants  become  more  numerous  iu  species,  as  well 
ad  individuals,  in  warmer  countries,  and  more  than  a 


2 


NUMBER  OF  SPECIES. 


thousand  specie's  are  known.     Even  this  hirfrc  number 
is  certainly  far  short  of  those  actually  in  existence.' 

I  have  kept  in  captivity  about  half  of  r)ur  British 
species  of  ants,  as  well  as  a  considerable  nuniber  of 
foreign  forms,  and  for  the  last  few  years  have  generally 
had  from  thirty  to  forty  communities  under  observation. 
After  trying  various  plans,  T  found  the  most  con- 
venient method  was  to  keep  them  in  nests  consisting 
of  two  plates  of  common  window  glass,  about  ten 
inches  square,  and  at  a  distance  apart  of  from  -^^  to 
J  of  an  inch  (in  fact  just  sufficiently  deep  to  allow 
the  ants  freedom  of  motion),  with  slips  of  wood  round 
the  edges,  the  intermediate  space  being  tilled  uj)  with 
fine  earth.  If  the  interval  between  the  glass  plates 
was  too  great,  the  ants  were  partly  hidden  by  the 
earth,  but  when  the  distance  between  the  phites  of 
glass  was  properly  regulated  with  reference  to  the 
size  of  the  ants,  they  were  open  to  close  obser- 
vation, and  had  no  opportunity  of  concealing  them- 
selves. Ants,  however,  very  much  dislike  light  in 
their  nests,  probably  because  it  makes  them  think 
themselves  insecure,  and  I  always  thenifore  kept 
the    nests    covered    over,    except   when    under   actual 

'  I  have  had  some  doubt  whetlier  I  sliould  append  descriptions 
of  the  British  species.  On  the  whole,  however,  I  liave  not  thou<,dit 
it  necessary  to  do  so.  They  are  well  given  in  various  entomoloixical 
works:  for  instance,  in  Smith's  (\italofjiie  of  Jiritlnh  Fonmrial 
nijmcnoj)tcra  ;  Saunders'  S,/pojms  of  JiritUh  Ilrtcrogtina ;  and  in 
Mayr*s  JJie  Enrojjiiischcn.  Formiciden,  all  of  which  are  cheap  and 
easily  procurable.  I  have,  however,  given  figures  of  the  princii»al 
species  with  whicli  I  have  worked. 


K..»Mfci&iaiWSi8d.  .a^i-t^ft.- 


MODE  OF  OBSERVATION. 


observation.  I  found  it  convenient  to  have  one  side 
of  the  nest  formed  by  a  loose  slip  of  wood,  and  at  one 
corner  I  left  a  small  door.  These  glass  nests  I  either 
kept  in  shallow  boxes  with  loose  glass  covers  resting 
on  baize,  which  admitted  enough  air,  and  yet  was  im- 
pervious to  the  ants  ;  or  on  stands  surrounded  either 
by  water,  or  by  fur,  with  the  hairs  pointing  downwards. 
Some  of  the  nests  I  arranged  on  stands,  as  shown  in 

Fig.  1. 


E 


I) 


£  c± 


£  cf 


o 


E  cf 


D 


n 


£  c± 


IJ 


E  C 


Cl 


D' 


B' 


M 


2^C 


A 


B 


3 


fig.  1.  A  A  is  an  upright  post  fixed  on  a  base  B  B. 
0  0  is  a  S(piare  platform  of  wchmI  round  which  runs  a 
ditch  of  water.  Above  are  six  nests,  D,  each  lying 
on  a  platform  E,  which  could  be  turned  for  facility  of 
observation,  as  shown  in  the  dotted  lines  IV  and  E'. 
Thus  the  ants  had  a  considerable  ranire,  as  they  could 
wander  as  far  as  the  water  ditch.  The  object  of  having 
the  platform  C  C  larger  tliau  the  supports  of  the  nesta 


.  ..!irA^.j»»>iaMaf  ■it^^'j^jtfimaUia 


4  ARTIFICIAL   NEST 

was  that  if  the  ants  fell,  as  often  bapi)eno(l,  tliey  were 
within  the  water  boundary,  and  were  able  to  return 
home.  This  plan  answered  fairly  well,  and  saved  spaee, 
but  it  did  not  quite  fulfil  my  hopes,  as  the  ants  were 
so  pugnacious,  that  I  was  obliged  to  be  very  careful 
which  nests  were  placed  on  the  same  stand. 

Of  course  it  was  impossible  to  force  the  ants  into 
these  glass  nests.     On  the  other  hand,  when  once  the 
right  way  is  known  it  is  easy  to  induce  them  to  go  in. 
When  I  wished  to  start  a  new  nest  I  dug  one  up,  and 
brought  home    the  ants,  earth,  vVic,  all   together.      I 
then  put  them  over  one  of  my  artificial  nests,  on  one 
of  the  platf(>rms  surrounded  by  a  moat  of  water.     Gra- 
dually the  outer  earth  dried  u]),  while  that  Ix^tween 
the  two  plates  of  glass,  being  protected  from   evai»o- 
ration,  retained    its   moisture.     Under   these   circum- 
stances   the    ants    found    it    more    suitable    to    their 
requirements,  and  gradually  deserted  the  drier  mould 
outside,  which   I   removed  by  degrees.     In   the  earth 
between   the  plates  of  glass  the   ants  tunnelled    out 
passages,  chambers,  e^c.  (fig.  2),  varying  in  form  ac- 
cording to  the  circumstances  and  species. 

Even  between  the  plates  of  glass  the  earth  gradu- 
ally dried  up,  and  I  had  to  supply  artificial  rain  from 
time  to  time.  Occasionally  also  I  gave  them  an  alto- 
gether new  nest.  They  seem,  however,  to  get  attached  to 
their  old  homes,  and  I  have  one  comnumity  which 
has  inhabited  the  sanie  glass  case  ever  since  1874. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  individual 


DIFFERENCES  FN   HABITS. 


ants  belonging  to  the  communities  placed  on  the 
stands  just  described,  knew  their  own  nests  perfectly 
^ell. 

These  nests  gave  me  special  facilities  for  observing 
the  internal  economy  of  ant  life.  Another  main  diffe- 
rence between  my  observations  and  those  of  previous 
naturalists  has  consisted  in  the  careful  record  of  the 
actions  of  individual  ants.  The  most  convenient  mode 
of  marking  them  was,  I  found,  either  with  a  small  dab 
of  paint  on  the  back,  or,  in  the  case  of  bees  or  wasps,  by 
snipping  off  a  fragment  at  the  extremity  of  the  wing. 
This,  I  need  hardly  say,  from  the  structure  of  the 
wing,  gave  the  insect  no  pain ;  in  fact,  as  it  is  only 
necessary  to  remove  a  minute  portion,  not  sufficient  to 
make  any  difference  in  their  flight,  they  seemed 
scarcely  to  notice  it.  I  never  found  any  difficulty  in 
painting  bees  or  wasps  ;  if  they  are  given  a  little  honey 
they  become  so  intent  that  they  quietly  allow  the 
paint  to  be  applied.  Of  course  too  much  must  not  be 
put  on,  and  care  must  be  taken  not  to  touch  the  wings 
or  cover  up  the  spiracles.  Ants  require  somewhat  more 
delicate  treatment,  but  with  a  little  practice  they  could 
also  be  marked  without  any  real  difficulty. 

No  two  species  of  Ants  are  identical  in  habits  ;  and, 
on  various  accounts,  their  mode  of  life  is  far  from  easy  to 
unravel.  In  the  first  place,  most  of  their  time  is  passed 
underground :  all  the  education  of  the  ymmg,  for 
instance,  is  carried  on  in  the  dark.  Again,  ants  are 
essentially  gregarious  ;  it  is  in  some  cases  difficult  to 


STAGES   IN  THE  LIFE  OF  ANTS-EGGS. 


LARVA— rUTA. 


keep  a  few  alive  by  themselves  in  enptivity,  and  at  ai,y 
rate  their  habits  under  such  circuin .stances  are  entirely 
altered.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  a  whole  community 
is  kei)t,  then  the  greater  number  introduces  a  fresli 
element  of  difficulty  and  c()mj)lexity.  Moreover,  within 
the  same  sj^ecies,  the  individuals  seem  to  differ  in 
character,  and  even  the  same  individual  will  behave 
very  ditTerently  under  different  circumstances.  Al- 
though, then,  ants  have  attracted  the  attention  of  many 
of  the  older  naturalists,— Gould,  De  Geer,  Keaumur, 
Swammerdam,  Latreille,  Leuwenhoeck,  Huber,— and 
have  recently  been  the  object  of  interesting  obser- 
vations by  Frederick  Smith.  Belt,  Moggridge,  Bates, 
Mayr,  Emery,  Forel,  McCook,  and  others,  they  still 
present  one  of  the  most  promising  fields  for  observation 
and  experiment. 

The  life  of  an  ant  falls  into  four  well-marked 
periods— those  of  the  egg,  of  the  hirva  or  grub,  of  the 
pupa  or  chrysalis,  and  of  the  perfect  insect  or  imago. 
The  eggs  are  white  or  yellowish,  and  somewhat  elon- 
gated. They  are  said  to  hatch  about  fifteen  days  aftor 
being  laid.  Those  observed  by  me  have  taken  a  month 
or  six  weeks. 

Ihe  larva3  of  ants  (PI.  V.  fig.  3),  like  those  of  bees 
and  wasps,  are  small,  white,  legless  grubs  somewhat 
conical  in  form,  being  narrow  towards  the  head. 
They  are  carefully  tended  and  fed,  being  carried  about 
from  chamber  to  chamber  by  the  workers,  probably  in 
order  to  secure  the  most  suitable  amount  of  warmth 


and  moisture.  I  have  observed,  also,  that  they  are 
very  often  assorted  according  to  age.  It  is  sometimes 
very  curious  in  my  nests  to  see  them  arranged  in 
groups  according  to  size,  so  that  they  remind  one  of 
a  school  divided  into  five  or  six  classes. 

As  regards  the  length  of  life  of  the  larvae,  Forel 
supposed'  that  those  of  Tapinoma  matured  the 
quickest,  and  were  full-grown  in  about  six  or  seven 
weeks.  Some  of  Myrinica  r^tr/inodif^,  however,  ob- 
served by  me,  turned  into  pupa3  in  less  than  a  month. 
In  other  cases  the  period  is  much  longer.  In  certain 
species,  Lasius  Jlavus,  for  instance,  some  of  the  larvae 
live  through  the  winter. 

When  full  grown  they  turn  into  pupae  (PI.  V.  fig.  4), 
sometimes  naked,  sometimes  covered  with  a  silken 
cocoon,  constituting  the  so-called  'ant-eggs.'  We  do 
not  yet  understand  why  some  larvae  spin  cocoons,  while 
others  remain  naked.  As  a  general  rule,  the  species 
which  have  not  a  sting,  spin  a  cocoon,  while  those  which 
have,  are  naked.  Latreille  was  the  first  to  observe  that 
in  one  species  (F.  fusca)  the  pupae  somc^times  spin  a 
cocoon,  and  sometimes  remain  nakt  d.  The  reason  for 
this  difference  is  still  quite  unknown.  After  remaining 
some  days  in  this  state  they  emerge  as  perfect  insects. 
In  many  cases,  however,  they  would  perish  in  the 
attempt,  if  they  were  not  assisted  ;  and  it  is  very  pretty 
tc  gee  the  older  ants  helping  them  to  extricate  them- 

•  Li'g  Fiturmis  t?f  In  Sttiiisr,  p  420. 


'■^-tXft'.    ■    ^■rtH.r.-.A  ■-■iJ-.W.Jji?- » 


i4>.t]b*i  ^lithsSiiSji 


8 


PUrA— IMAGO. 


selves,  carefully  unfolding  their  legs  and  smoothing 
out  the  wings,  with  truly  feminine  tenderness  and 
delicacy.  Our  countryman  Gould  was  the  first  to 
observe,  and  the  fact  has  since  been  fully  confirmed 
by  Forel,  that  the  piip?e  are  unable  to  emerge  from  the 
cocoons  without  the  assistance  of  the  workers.  The 
ants  generally  remain  from  three  to  four  weeks  in 
this  condition. 

In  the  case  of  ants,  rtS  with  other  insects  which  pass 
through  similar  metamor|)hoses,  such  as  bees,  wasps, 
moths,  butterflies,  flies,  and  beetles,  &c.,  the  larval 
stage  is  the  period  of  growth.  During  the  chrysalis 
stage,  though  immense  changes  take  place,  and  the 
organs  of  the  perfect  insect  are  more  or  less  rapidly 
developed,  no  food  is  taken,  and  there  is  no  addition 
to  the  size  or  weight. 

The  imago  or  perfect  insect  again  takes  food,  but 
does  not  grow.  The  ant,  like  all  the  insects  above 
named,  is  as  large  when  it  emerges  from  the  pupa  as  it 
ever  will  be;  excepting,  indeed,  that  the  abdomen  of 
the  females  somcitimes  increases  in  size  from  the  de- 
velopment of  the  eggs. 

We  have  hitherto  very  little  information  as  to  the 
length  of  life  in  ants  in  the  imago,  or  perfect,  state. 
So  far,  indeed,  as  the  preparatory  stages  are  concenied, 
there  is  little  difficulty  in  approximately  ascertaining 
the  faets ;  namely,  that  while  in  summer  they  take 
only  a  few  weeks;  in  some  species,  as  our  small  yellow 
meadow  ants,  the  autumn  larvae  remain  with  compara- 


LEN'GTH   OF  LIFE. 


9 


lively  little  change  throughout  the  winter.  It  is  much 
more  difficult  to  ascertain  the  lengtli  of  life  of  the 
[)erfect  insect,  on  account  of  their  gregarious  habits, 
and  the  difficulty  of  recognising  individual  ants.  I 
have  found,  however,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  that 
their  life  is  much  longer  than  has  been  generally 
su])posed. 

It  is  generally  stated  in  entomological  works  that  the 
males  of  ants  die  almost  immediately.  No  doubt  this 
is  generally  the  case.  At  the  same  time,  some  males 
of  Myrmica  rmjlnodls,  which  I  isoLited  with  their 
mates  in  August  187(),  lived  until  the  following  spring; 
one  of  them  till  May  17. 

It  has  also  been  the  general  opinion  that  the 
females  lived  about  a  year.  Christ  '  indeed  thou^rht 
they  might  last  three  or  even  ftnir  seasons,  but  this 
was  merely  a  suggestion,  and  Forel  expressed  the 
general  opinion  when  he  said,  '  Je  suis  i>ersuade  qu'en 
automne  11  ne  n^ste  presque  i)lus  que  les  ouvrieres 
ecloses  pendant  le  courant  de  Pete.'  The  average 
life  of  a  queen  is  also,  he  thinks,  not  more  than  twelve 
months.  I  have  found,  however,  that  the  life  of  the 
queens  and  workers  is  much  longer  than  had  been  su^v 
posed.  I  shall  give  further  details  in  a  subsequent 
chapter,  but  I  may  just  mention  here  that  I  kept 
a  (pieen  of  Fttrmien  fttsnf  from  December  ls74  till 
August  18S8,  when  she  must  have  been  nearlv  fifteen 
years  old,  and  of  c<»urse  may  have  been  more.     !Slie 

'  Xatui'ifeHcliicliti  tier  Inst kf en. 


JiiiiSiSSISt'^^iaaBiiV 


10 


STRUCTl  RE   OF    ANTS. 


attained,  tlicrcforc,  l)y  far  tlio  irreatcst  age  of  any 
insect  on  record.  1  have  also  some  workers  which  I 
have  liad  since  IST."). 

The  Imdv  uf  an  ant  consists  of  three  parts:  the 
head,  tliorax,  and  ahd«Mnen.  The  liead  hears  the 
])rincipal  organs  of  sense,  and  contains  the  hrain,  as 
the  anterior  portion  of  tlie  luM-vons  system  may  fairly 
be  called.  The  thorax,  snpi)orting  the  legs  and,  when 
they  are  present,  the  wings,  contains  the  j)rincipal 
nuiscles  of  locomotion.  The  abdomen  contains  the 
stomach  and  intestines,  the  organs  of   reproduction, 

the  sting.  Are. 

Returning  to  the  head  :  the  antenna*  consist  of  a 
short  spherical  l)asal  piece,  a  long  shaft,  known  as  the 
scape,  and  a  Hagellum  of  from  six  to  seventeen  (gen- 
erallv,  however,  from  ten  to  thirteen)  sh<»rt  segments, 
the  apical  ones  sometimes  forming  a  sort  of  clnh. 
The  nund)er  of  segments  is  generally  diilercnt  in  the 
males  and  females. 

The  eves  are  of  two  kinds.  Lari^e  comp<nind  eves, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  head;  and  ocelli,  or  so-called 
simple  eyes.  The  compound  eyes  consist  of  many  facets. 
The  number  differs  greatly  in  dilTerent  sjK'cies,  and  in 
the  different  sexes,  the  males  generally  having  the 
greatest  number.  Thus,  in  Fitriitint  jtntf( ttsis  there 
are,  according  to  Forel,  in  the  males  about  l.r^oo  in 
each  eve,  in  the  fertile  females  between  S(Kl  and  1MM>,  in 
the  workers  about  ♦»(  i(  I.    AVhere  the  workers  vary  in  size 

'  Ilavinj;  roforonce  to  the  facts  stated  on  page  37,  this  is  a  result 
of  great  physiological  interest. 


THE   HEAD. 


11 


they  differ  also  in  the  number  of  facets.  Thus,  again 
following  the  same  authority,  the  large  workers  of 
Camponotas  lifjniperdws  have  500,  the  smaller  ones 
only  450 ;  while  in  the  Harvesting  ant  (^Atta  barbara) 
the  contrast  is  even  greater,  the  large  specimens 
having  230,  the  small  ones  only  from  80  to  90.  The 
ordinary  workers  have  in  Folyergus  rufescens  about 
400;  in  La.sius  faUfjinosus,  200;  in  Taplnoma  erra- 
ticmn,  100;  in  Pla<jioleri'i8  pi/r/mcca,  70  to  80;  in 
Lasiiis  Jlavus,  about  80  ;  in  Bothriomyrmcx  oneri' 
dionalis,5'y ;  in  Slvongylof/nathus  tcstacciis, Stenamma 
Westwoodii,  and  Tctramoriuin  caifipiiiim,  about  45  ; 
in  Pheidole  pallidala,  about  30  ;  Myrmecina  La- 
trelllei,  15  ;  Solcnopsis  fuyax^  6  to  9  ;  while  in  Ponera 
contracta  there  are  only  from  1  to  5  ;  in  Ecitoii  only  1  ; 
and  in  Typldopone,  the  eyes  are  altogether  wanting. 

The  number  of  facets  seems  to  increase  rather  with 
.he  size  of  the  species  than  with  the  power  of  vision. 

The  ocelli  are  never  more  than  three  in  number, 
disposed  in  a  triangle  with  the  ajjcx  in  front  Some- 
times the  anterior  ocellus  alone  is  present.  In  some 
species  the  workers  are  altogether  without  ocelli,  which, 
however,  are  always  present  in  the  queens  and  in  the 
males. 

The  mouth  part?  are  the  labrum,  or  upper  lip  ;  the 
first  pair  of  jaws  or  mandibles  ;  the  second  pair  of  jaws 
or  maxilhe,  which  are  provided  with  a  pair  of  palpi, 
or  feelers ;  and  the  lower  lip,  or  labium,  also  bearing 
a  pair  of  pal  pi 


12 


THE  THORAX. 


THE  ABDOMEN. 


13 


The  thorax  is  generally  considered  to  consist,  as  in 
other  insects,  of  three  divisions — the  prothorax,  me&o- 
thorax,  and  metathorax.  I  have  elsewhere,  however, 
given  reasons  into  which  I  will  not  at  this  moment 
enter,  for  considering  that  the  first  abdominal  segment 
has  in  this  group  coalesced  with  the  thorax.  The 
thorax  bears  three  pairs  of  leg*?,  consisting  of  a  coxa, 
trochanter,  femur,  tibia  and  tarsus,  the  latter  composed 
of  five  segments  and  terminating  in  a  pair  of  strong 
claws. 

In  the  males  and  females  the  meso-  and  meta- 
thorax each  bear  a  pair  of  wings,  which,  however,  are 
stripped  off  by  the  insects  themselves  soon  after  the 
marriage  fliifht. 

The  workers  never  possess  wings,  nor  do  they  show 
even  a  rudimentary  representative  of  these  organs. 
Dr.  Dewitz  has  pointed  out  that  the  full-grown  larvsG 
of  the  workers  possess  well-developed  '  imaginal  disks,' 
like  those  which,  in  the  males  and  females,  devclope 
into  the  wings.  These  disks,  during  the  pupal  life, 
gradually  become  atrophied,  until  in  the  perfect  insects 
they  are  represented  only  by  two  strongly  chitinised 
points  lying  under  the  large  middle  thoracic  stigmas. 
No  one  unacquainted  with  the  original  history  of 
these  points  would  ever  suspect  them  to  be  the  rudi- 
mentary remnants  of  ancestral  wings.' 

The  thorax  also  bears  three  pairs  of  spirai'les,  or 
breathing  holes. 

'  Zeit.f.  rviss.  Zml.,  vol.  xxviii.  p.  666 


The  abdomen  consists  of  six  segments,  in  the  queens 
and  workers,  that  is  to  say  in  the  females,  and  seven  in 
the  males.  Tlie  first  segment,  as  a  general  rule,  in  tlie 
Formicidoe  forms  a  sort  of  peduncle  (known  as  tlie  scale 
or  knot)  between  the  metathorax  and  the  remainder  of 
the  abdomen.  In  the  Myrniicidie  two  segments  are 
thus  detached  from  the  rest. 

The  Poneri(l;e  form,  as  regards  the  peduncle,  and 
in  some  other  respects,  lui  intermediate  group  between 
the  Formicid;e  and  tlie  ^Ivrmicid;e.  The  second  alxk)- 
minal  segment  is  conti-acted  posteriorly,  but  not  so 
much  so  as  to  form  a  distinct  knot. 

The  form  of  the  knot  offers  in  nianv  cases  valuable 
specific  cliaracters. 

I  have  sometimes  been  tempted  t«>  correlate  the 
existence  of  a  second  knot  amonor  the  ^Nlvrmicidje  with 
their  power  of  stinging,  which  is  wanting  in  tlie  For- 
micidne.  Though  the  principal  mobility  of  the  abdomen 
is  given  in  the  former,  as  in  the  latter,  bv  the  joint 
between  the  metathorax  and  \\\v  knot,  still  the  second 
segment  of  the  peduncle  must  increase  the  flexibilitv, 
which  would  seem  to  be  a  special  advantage  to  those 
species  which  have  a  sting.  It  must  indeed  be 
admitted  that  (Kcoiibvlla'  has  a  stiuij,  and  vet  only 
one  knot  ;  but  this,  of  com*se,  does  not  altogether 
negative  my  suggestion,  which,  however,  I  only  throw 
out  for  considerati(>n 

'  Proc.  Linn.  -S<»r.,  vol.  v  p.  101, 


JWHfey-fr'WJii.feiaiisWBwiBl^ii 


14 


THK   STIXCt. 


The  knot  is  provided  with  a  pair  of  spiracles, 
which  are  situated,  as  Forel  states,  in  the  front  of  the 
segment,  and  not  behind,  as  sujiposed  by  Latreille. 

In  most  entomok)gical  works  it  is  stated  that  the 
Myrmieidae  have  a  sting,  and  that,  on  the  contrary, 
the  Formieidse  do  not  possess  one.  The  hitter  family, 
indeed,  possess  a  rudimentary  structure  representing 
the  sting,  but  it  seems  merely  to  serve  as  a  support  for 
the  poison  duct.  Dr.  Dcwitz,  who  has  recently  pub- 
iisln'*!'  :iu  intt»restiug  memoir  on  the  subject,  denies 
t'l.it  fhe  htiug  in  Formicida2  is  a  reduced  organ,  and 
iili'rs  it  rather  as  in  an  undeveloped  condition. 
Tip-  aiurgtors  of  our  existing  Ants,  in  his  opinion, 
liad  a  large  poison  apparatus,  with  a  chitinous  support. 
like  that  now  present  in  Formica,  from  which  the 
formidable  weapons  of  the  bees,  wasps,  and  ]Myrmicid;e 
liave  been  gradually  developed.  I  confess  that  I  am 
rather  disposed,  on  the  contrary,  to  regard  the  con- 
dition of  the  or<^in  in  Formica  as  a  case  of  retroirres- 
sion  contingent  upon  disuse.*  I  find  it  difficult  to 
suppose  that  organs — so  complex,  inul  yet  so  sinnlar — 
as  the  stings  of  ants,  bees,  and  wasps,  should  have 
been  developed  independently. 

Any  opinion  expressed  by  .AT.  Dcwitz  on  such  a 
subject  is,  of  course,  entitled  to  much  weight ;  never- 
theless there  are  some  general  considerations  which 
seem  to  me  conclusive  against  his  view.     If  the  sling 

'  Zdf.f.  iriss.  Zoo/.,  vol.  xxviii,  p.  r)27. 

-  This;  view  has  .subsequently   lueii  inl(>i)tod    by  Dr.  nevir,  J( ua 
Zeit.  IS'JO. 


JrJftS-^i^ALawi**^'.,^  Visit     *"<       -ri-A^..,*.     '  v■■^ 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  STING. 


15 


of  Formica  represents  a  hitherto  undeveloped  organ, 
tlu'n  the  original  ant  was  stingless,  and  the  p'-esent 
Ftings  of  ants  have  an  origin  independent  of  that 
belonging  to  the  other  aculeate  Ifymenoptera,  sucli 
as  bees  and  wasps.  These  organs,  however,  are  so 
complex,  and  at  the  same  time  so  similarly  constituted, 
that  they  must  surely  have  a  common  origin.  Whether 
the  present  sting  is  derived  from  a  leaf-cutting  instru- 
ment, such  as  that  from  which  the  sawfly  takes  its  name, 
I  will  at  present  express  no  opinion.  Dr.  Dewitz  him- 
self regards  the  rudimentary  traces  of  wings  in  the 
larvie  of  ants  as  the  remnants  of  once  highly-developed 
organs  ;  why,  then,  should  he  adopt  the  opposite  view 
with  reference  to  the  rudimentary  sting  ?  On  the 
whole,  I  must  regard  the  ancestral  ant  as  having  pos- 
sessed a  sting,  and  consider  that  the  rudimentary  con- 
dition of  that  of  Formica  is  due  to  atrophy,  perhaps 
through  disuse. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  certainly,  at  first  sight,  diffi- 
cult to  understand  why  ants,  having  once  acquired  a 
sting,  should  allow  it  to  fall  into  desuetude.  There  are, 
however,  some  considerations  which  may  throw  a  certain 
light  on  the  subject.  The  poison  glands  are  much  larger 
in  Formica  than  in  ]\ryrmica.  Moreover,  some  species 
have  the  power  of  ejecting  their  poison  to  a  consider- 
al)le  distance.  In  Switzerland,  after  disturbing  a  nest 
of  Formica  rufa,  or  some  nearly  allied  species,  I  have 
found  that  a  hand  held  as  much  as  1 8  inches  above  the 
ants  was  covered  with  acid.    l>ut  even  when  the  poison 


16 


THE   POISON   OF  ANTS. 


MODES   OF  FIGHTING. 


17 


is  not  thus  fired  at  the  enemv  from  a  ilistaiice,  there 
are  two  cases  in  which  the  aciilcus  might  be  allowed  to 
fall  into  disuse.  F'irstly,  those  species  which  figlit 
with  their  mandibles  might  find  it  on  the  whole  most 
convenient  to  eject  the  poison  (as  they  do)  into  the 
wounds  thus  created.  Secondly,  if  the  poison  itself  is 
so  intensified  in  virulence  as  to  act  through  the  skin, 
a  piercing  instrument  would  be  of  comparatively  small 
advantage.  I  was  amused  one  day  by  watching  some 
specimens  of  the  little  CvemaMo(jaHier  sordUlida  and 
the  much  larger  Formica  cinerea.  The  former  were 
feeding  on  some  drops  of  honey,  which  the  Formicas 
were  anxious  to  shiure,  but  the  moment  one  api)roached, 
the  little  Cremastogasters  sim[>ly  threatened  them 
with  the  tip  of  their  ainlomen,  and  the  Formicas 
immediately  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  In  this  case  the 
comparatively  large  Formica  could  certainly  have  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  physical  violence  on  the  part  of 
th*^  little  Cremastogaster.  Mere  ccmtact  with  the 
poison,  however,  appeared  to  cause  them  considerable 
pain,  and  generally  the  threat  alone  was  sufficient  to 
cause  a  retreat. 

However  this  may  be,  in  their  modes  of  fighting, 
different  species  of  ants  have  their  several  peculiarities. 
Some  also  are  much  less  military  than  others.  Myr- 
mechia  Latreillil,  for  instance,  never  attack,  and 
scarcely  even  defend  themselves.  Their  skin  is  very 
hard,  and  they  roll  themselves  into  a  ball,  not  defend- 
ing themselves  even   if  their  nest  is  invaded  ;  to  [pre- 


vent which  they  make  the  entrances  small,  and  often 
station  at  each  a  worker,  who  uses  her  head  to  stop 
the  way.  The  smell  of  this  species  is  also,  perhaps,  a 
protection.  Tetramorium  cai.^pitum  has  the  habit  of 
feigning  death.  This  species,  however,  does  not  roll 
itself  up,  but  merely  applies  its  legs  and  antennaa 
closely  to  the  body. 

Formica  rvfa,  the  common  Horse  ant,  attacks  in 
serried  masses,  seldom  sending  out  detachments,  while 
single  ants  scarcely  ever  make  individual  attacks. 
They  rarely  pursue  a  flying  foe,  but  give  no  quarter, 
killing  as  many  enemies  as  i:>ossible,  and  never  hesi- 
tating, with  this  object,  to  sacrifice  themselves  for  the 
common  good. 

Formica  sanguinea,  on  the  contrary,  at  least  in 
their  slave-making  expeditions,  attempt  rather  to 
teiTify  thim  to  kill.  Indeed,  when  invading  a  nest, 
they  do  not  attack  the  flying  inhabitants  unless  these 
are  attempting  to  carry  off  pupa?,  in  which  case  the 
F.  savguineas  force  them  to  abandon  the  pupae. 
When  fighting,  they  attemi)t  to  crush  their  enemies 
with  their  mandibles. 

Foi'mica  exsecta  is  a  delicate,  but  very  active 
s})ecies.  They  also  advance  in  serried  masses,  but  in 
close  quarters  they  bite  right  and  left,  d;mcing  about 
to  avoid  being  bitten  themselves.  When  fiohtinpf 
with  larger  S})ecies  they  spring  on  to  their  backs, 
and  then  seize  them  by  the  neck  or  by  an  antenna. 
They  also  have  the  instinct  of  acting  together,  three 


^  ■  t  »;.<?  -  A 1  "..a'-jai™!  ."ija:  j*8Aly  .ataMtai 


18 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES  OF  INDIVJUUALS. 


or  four  seizing  an  enemy  at  once,  and  then  pullinit 
different  ways,  so  that  she  on  her  part  cannot  get  at 
any  one  of  her  foes.  One  of  them  then  jumps  on 
her  back  and  cuts,  or  rather  saws,  off  her  head.  In 
battles  between  this  ant  and  the  much  hu-ger  F.  jjra- 
tcnsis,  many  of  the  F.  exaectas  may  be  seen  on  the 
backs  of  the  F.  pratensis,  sawing  off  tlieir  heads  from 
behind. 

The  species  of  Lasuia  make  up  in  numbers  what 
they  want  in  strength.  Several  of  them  seize  an 
enemy  at  once,  one  by  each  of  lier  legs  or  antenme, 
and  when  they  have  once  taken  hokl  they  will  suffer 
themselves  to  be  cut  in  pieces  rather  than  leave  go. 

Polyergus  rufescens,  the  celebrated  slave-making 
or  Amazon  ant,  has  a  mode  of  combat  almost  peculiar 
to  herself.  The  jaws  are  very  powerful,  and  pointed. 
If  attacked — if,  for  instance,  another  ant  seizes  her  by 
a  leg — she  at  once  takes  her  enemy's  head  into  her 
jaws,  which  generally  makes  her  quit  her  hold.  If  she 
does  not,  the  Pobjevfjus  closes  her  mandibles,  so  that 
the  points  pierce  the  brain  of  her  enemy,  paralvsiu"- 
the  nervous  system.  The  victim  falls  in  couvuL-iuns, 
setting  free  her  terrible  foe.  In  this  manner  a  com- 
paratively small  force  of  PoUjertjns  will  fearlessly 
attack  much  larger  armies  of  other  species,  and  suffer 
themselves  scarcely  any  loss. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  an  ants'  n«>st,  like 
a  beehive,  consists  of  three  kinds  of  individuals; 
workers,  or  imperfect  females   (which   constitute   I  be 


THE   HONEY  ANT. 


19 


great  majority),  males,  and  perfect  females.  There 
are,  however,  often  several  queens  in  an  ants'  nest ; 
while,  as  we  all  know,  there  is  never  more  than  one 
queen  mother  in  a  hive.  The  queens  of  ants  are  pro- 
vided with  wings,  but  after  a  single  flight  they  tear 
them  off,  and  do  not  again  quit  the  nest.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  ordinary  workers  there  is  in  some  species 
a  second,  or  rather  a  third,  form  of  female.  In  almost 
any  ants'  nest  we  may  see  that  the  workers  differ  more 
or  less  in  size.  The  amount  of  difference,  however, 
depends  upon  the  species.  In  Lasius  niger,  the  small 
brown  garden  ant,  the  workers  are,  for  instance,  much 
more  uniform  than  in  the  little  yellow  meadow  ant, 
or  in  xitta  barbara  (PI.  II.  figs.  1  and  2),  where  some 
of  them  are  much  more  than  twice  as  larjre  as  others. 
But  in  certain  ants  there  are  differences  still  more  re- 
markal)le.  Thus,  in  a  Mexican  species,  Myrmecocystas,^ 
besides  the  common  workers,  which  have  the  form  of 
ordinary  neuter  ants,  there  are  certain  others  in  which 
the  abdomen  is  swollen  into  an  immense  sub-diapha- 
nous si)here.  These  individuals  are  very  inactive,  and 
principally  as  living  honey-jars.  I  have  described  in  a 
subsequent  page  a  species  of  Camjjonotus  (PL  IV. 
fig.  1)  from  Australia,  which  presents  us  with  the  same 
remarkal)le  phenomenon.  In  the  genus  Fheidole  (PI. 
II.  figs.  3  and  4),  very  common  in  southern  Europe, 
there  are  also  two  distinct  forms  without  any  interme- 
diate gradations ;  one  with  heads  of  the  usual  propor- 
*  Wesmae],  Bull.  Acad.  Hoy.  BruxelUs,  vol.  v.  p.  771. 


J(-.   .■■n.»-.i<<rJ»»ft  *W*yg.ii 


.aJ&x^tS^^srJJvAx..  wfc.  J  frUftS 


20 


WORKERS— SOLDIERS. 


tion,  and  a  second  with  immense  heads  provided  with 
very  large  jaws.  This  differentiation  of  certain  indi- 
viduals so  as  to  adapt  them  to  special  functions  seems 
to  me  very  remarkable ;  for  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  difference  is  not  one  of  age  or  sex.  The  large- 
headed  individuals  are  generally  supposed  to  act  as 
soldiers,  and  the  size  of  the  head  enables  the  muscles 
which  move  the  jaws  to  be  of  unusual  dimensions  ;  but 
the  little  workers  are  also  very  pugnacious.  Imhx'd, 
in  some  nests  of  Fheidole  megacephala,  which  I  had 
for  some  time  under  observation,  the  small  workers 
were  quite  as  ready  to  fight  as  the  large  ones. 

Again,  in  the  genus  Colobopsis  Emery  discovered 
that  two  ants,  then  supposed  to  be  different  si)ecies,  and 
known  as  Colobopsis  truncata  and  C.fuscipes,  are  really 
only  two  forms  of  one  species.  In  this  case  the  entrance 
to  the  nest  is  guarded  by  the  large-headed  form,  which 
may  therefore  fairly  be  called  a  soldier. 

Savace  observed  amoncf  the  Driver  Ants,  where  also 
there  are  two  kinds  of  workers,  that  the  large  ones 
arranged  themselves  on  each  side  of  the  colunm  formed 
by  the  small  ones.  They  acted,  he  says,  evidently  the 
part  of  grades  rather  than  of  guards.  At  times  they 
place  '  their  abdomen  horizontally  on  the  ground,  nnd 
laying  hold  of  fixed  points  with  their  hind  feet  (which 
together  thus  acted  as  a  fulcrum),  elevate  the  anterior 
portion  of  their  bodies  to  the  highest  point,  open  wide 
their  jaws,  and  stretch  forth  their  antenna',  which  for 
the  most  part  were  fixed,  as  if  in  the  act  of  listenini^ 


FIA'E  KINDS  OF  INDIVIDUALS  IN   SAUBA.  21 


and  watching  for  approaching  danger.  They  woultl 
oc'rasionally  drop  their  bodies  to  the  ground  again,  run 
off  to  one  side,  and  fiercely  work  their  jaws  and  antennae, 
as  if  havinsf  detected  some  stran^je  soimds  in  the  dis- 
tance.  Discerning  nothing,  they  would  quickly  return 
to  their  posts  and  resume  their  positions,  thus  acting 
as  scouts.'* 

The  same  thing  has  been  noticed  by  other  natu- 
ralists. Bates,  for  instance,  states  that  in  the  marching 
columns  of  Ecitoii  drepanophora  the  large-headed 
workers  *all  trotted  along  empty-handed  and  outside 
the  coknnn,  at  pretty  regular  intervals  from  each  other, 
like  subaltern  oflScers  in  a  marching  regiment.  ...  I 
did  not  see  them  change  th'^ir  position,  or  take  any 
notice  of  their  small-headed  comrades;'  and  he  says 
that  if  the  column  was  disturbed  they  appeared  less 
pugnacious  than  the  others. 

In  other  species,  however,  of  the  same  genus,  Eclton 
vasiator  and  E.  erratlca,  which  also  have  two  distinct 
kinds  of  workers,  the  ones  with  large  heads  do  appear 
to  act  mainly  as  soldiers.  AMien  a  breach  is  made  in 
one  of  their  covered  ways,  the  small  workers  set  to 
work  to  repair  the  damage,  while  the  large-headed  ones 
issue  forth  in  a  menacing  manner,  rearing  themselves 
up  and  threatening  with  their  jaws. 

In  the  Sauba  Ant  of  South  America  (^Ecodoma 
cepJtalotes),  the    complexity  is   carried    still  further; 

»  Rev.  T.  S.  Savaj^e  on  the  'Habits  of  the  Driver  Ants/  Tram 
Eat.  Soc.,  vol  V.  p.  12. 


22 


ORIGIN   OF  THE  SOLDIERS. 


Lund'  pointed  out  that  there  were  two  different  kindu 
of  workers,  but  Bates  has  since  shown  that  there  are 
in  tliis  species  no  less  than  five  classes  of  individuals, 
namely:    J.  Males.      2.   Queens.      3.   Small    ordinary 
workers  (PL  III.  %.  2).      4.  Large  workers  (PI.  III. 
fig.  1),  with  very  large  hairy  heads.     5.  Large  workers, 
with  large  polished  heads.     Bates  never  saw  either  of 
these  two  last  kinds  do  any  work  at  all,  and  was  not 
able   to  satisfy   himself  as   to   their    functions.     They 
have  also  been  called  soldiers,  but   this  is  obviously  a 
misnomer— at  least,  they  are  said  never  to  fiirht.    Bates 
suggests 2  that  they  may  '  serve,  in  some  sort,  as  passire 
instruments  of  i^rotection  to  the  real  workers.     Their 
enormously  large,  hard,  and  indestructible  heads  may 
be  of  use  in  protecting  them  against  the  attacks  of 
insectivorous  animals.     They  would  be,  on  this  view,  a 
kind  of  pieces  de  resistance,  serving  as  a  foil  against 
onslaughts  made  on  the  main  body  of  workers.' 

This  does  not,  I  confess,  appear  to  me  a  probable 
explanation  of  the  fact,  and  on  the  whole  it  seems  that 
the  true  function  of  these  large-headed  forms  is  not 
yet  satisfactorily  ex[)lained. 

The  question  then  arises  whether  these  different 
kinds  of  workers  are  produced  from  d liferent  eggs. 

I  am  disj)osed  to  concur  with  West  wood  in  the 
opinion  3  <  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  nest  have  the 
instinct  so  to  modify  the  circumstances  producmfr  this 

»  Ann.  dcg  Sci.  Xnt.  \%'M,  p.  122.  2  T^c.  cit.   p.  31. 

•  Modern  Clamjicalion  of  Inucts,  vol.  ii.  p.  226. 


nvISION   OF  LABOUR. 


23 


P\ate  of  imperfection,  that  some  neuters  shall  exhibit 
characters  at  variance  with  those  of  the  common  kind.' 
This,  indeed,  credits  them  with  a  very  remarkable 
instinct,  and  yet  I  see  no  more  probable  mode  of  ac- 
counting for  the  facts.  ^Moreover,  the  exact  mode  by 
which  the  differences  are  produced  is  still  entirely 
imknown. 

M.  Forel,  in  his  excellent  work  on  ants,  has  pointed 
out  that  very  young  ants  devote  themselves  at  first  to 
the  care  of  the  larvae  and  pupc^e,  and  that  they  take  no 
share  in  the  defence  of  the  nest  or  other  out-of-door 
work  until  they  are  some  days  old.  This  seems  natural, 
because  at  first  their  skin  is  comparatively  soft;  and  it 
would  clearly  be  undesirable  for  them  to  undertake  rough 
work  or  run  into  danger  until  their  armour  had  had 
time  to  harden.  There  are,  however,  reasons  for  think- 
ing that  the  division  of  labour  is  carried  still  further.  I 
do  not  allude  merely  to  those  cases  in  which  there  are 
com})letely  different  kinds  of  workers,  but  even  to  the 
ordinary  workers.  Li  L.Jlavus,  for  instance,  it  seems 
pr<)])able  that  the  duties  of  the  small  workers  are 
somewhat  different  from  those  of  the  lanxe  ones, 
though  no  such  division  of  labour  has  vet  been  detected. 
I  shall  have  to  record  some  furtlier  observations  point- 
ing in  the  same  direction. 

The  nests  of  ants  may  be  divided  into  several 
classes.  Some  species,  such  as  our  common  Horse  ant 
(Foi^mica  rvfa\  collect  large  quantities  of  materials, 
8uch  as  bits  of  stick,  fir  leaves,  c^e.,  which  they  heap 


24 


HABITATIONS  OF  ANTS. 


up  into  conical  masses.  Some  construct  their  nests  of 
earth,  the  cells  being  partly  above,  partly  below,  the 
natural  level.  Some  are  entirely  underground,  others 
eat  into  the  trunks  of  old  trees. 

In  warmer  climates  the  variations  are  still  more 
numerous.  Formica  bispinosa,  of  Cayenne,  forms  its 
nest  of  the  cottony  matter  from  the  capsuU^s  of  I^ombax. 
Sykes  has  described'  a  species  of  Mt/rmica  which 
builds  in  trees  and  shrubs,  the  nest  consisting  of  thin 
leaves  of  cow-dunsf,  arraui^ed  b'ke  tiles  on  the  roof  of  a 
house;  the  uj)per  h^if,  however,  covering  the  whole. 

In  some  cases  the  nests  are  very  extensive.  Bates 
mentions  that  while  he  was  at  Para  an  attempt  was 
made  to  destrov  a  nest  of  the  Saul)a  ants  by  blowinir 
into  it  the  fumes  of  sulphur,  and  he  saw  the  smoke 
issue  from  a  great  number  of  holes,  some  of  them  not 
less  than  seventy  yards  apart. 

A  community  of  ants  must  not  be  confused  with  an 
ant  hill  in  the  ordinary  sense.  Very  often  indeed  a 
community  has  only  one  dwelling,  and  in  most  species 
seldom  more  than  three  or  four.  Some,  however,  ft)rm 
numerous  colonies.  jNI.  Forel  even  found  a  case  in 
which  one  nest  of  F.  exscda  had  no  less  than  two 
hundred  colonies,  and  occupied  a  circular  space  with  a 
radius  of  nearly  two  hundred  yards.  Within  this  area 
they  had  exterminated  all  the  other  ants,  except  a  few 
u^sts  of  Tapinoma  erraticum,  which  survived,  thanks 
to  their  great  agility.     In   these  cases  the  number  oJ 

'  Trans.  Ent.  &>€.,  vol.  L 


IMMUNITIES  OF  ANTS. 


25 


ants  thus  associated  together  must  have  been  enor- 
mous. Even  in  single  nests  Forel  estimates  the 
numbers  at  from  five  thousand  to  half  a  million. 

Ants  also  make  for  themselves  roads.  These  are 
tot  merely  worn  by  the  continued  passage  of  the  ants, 
as  was  supposed  by  Christ,  but  are  actually  prepared  by 
the  ants,  rather  however  by  the  removal  of  ob>t3cles, 
than  by  any  actual  construction,  which  wou.ij.  indeed 
not  be  necessary,  the  weights  to  be  carried  being  so 
small.  In  some  cases  these  roadways  are  arched  over 
with  earth,  so  as  to  form  covered  ways.  In  others,  the 
ants  excavate  regular  subterranean  tunnels,  sometimes 
of  considerable  length.  The  Rev.  Hamlet  Clark  even 
assures  us  that  he  observed  one  in  South  America,  which 
passed  under  the  river  Parahyba  at  a  place  where  it  was 
as  broad  as  the  Thames  at  London  Bridge.  I  confess, 
however,  that  I  have  my  doubts  as  to  this  case,  for  I 
do  not  understand  how  the  continuity  of  the  tunnel  was 
ascertained. 

The  food  of  ants  consists  of  insects,  great  numbers 
of  which  they  destroy  ;  of  hone-y,  honeydew,  and  fruit : 
indeed,  scarcely  any  animal  or  sweet  substance  comes 
amiss  to  them.  Some  species,  such,  for  instance,  as 
the  small  brown  garden  ant  {Laslus  nujer,  PI.  I.  fig.  1), 
ascend  bushes  in  search  of  aphides.  The  ant  then 
taps  the  aphis  gently  with  her  antennae,  and  the  aphis 
emits  a  drop  of  sweet  fluid,  which  the  ant  drinks.  Some- 
times the  ants  even  build  covered  ways  up  to  and  over 
the   aphides,  wliich,   moreover,  they  protect  from  the 


•-  L^.iia6,-M^assrL:,S:6^ 


2G 


FOOD— ENEMIES. 


attacks  of  other  insects.  Our  Enirlish  ants  do  not 
store  up  provision  for  the  winter;  indeed,  their  food 
is  not  of  a  nature  which  would  admit  of  this.  I  hnvp 
indeed  observed  that  the  small  brown  ant  sometinn'S 
carries  seeds  of  the  violet  into  its  nest,  but  for  what 
purpose  is  not  clear.  Some  of  the  southern  ants, 
however,  lay  up  stores  of  grain  (see  Chapter  III.). 

Ants  have  many  enemies.  They  themselves,  and 
still  more  their  young,  are  a  favourite  food  of  many 
animals.  They  are  attacked  also  by  numerous  para- 
sites. K  a  nest  of  the  brown  ants  is  disturbed  at  any 
time  during  the  summer,  some  small  flies  may  probiibly 
be  seen  hovering  over  the  nest,  and  every  now  and 
then  making  a  dash  at  some  particular  ant.  These 
flies  belong  to  the  genus  Phora,  and  to  a  species  hitherto 
unnamed,  which  ^Ir.  Verrall  has  been  good  enough  to 
describe  for  me  {see  Appendix).  They  lay  their  eggs 
on  the  ants,  inside  which  the  larva3  live.  Other  species 
of  the  genus  are  in  the  same  way  parasitic  on  bees. 
Ants  are  also  sometimes  attacked  by  mites.  On 
one  occasion  I  observed  that  one  of  my  ants  had  a 
mite  attached  to  the  underside  of  its  head.  The  mite, 
which  maintained  itself  for  more  than  three  months  in 
the  same  position,  was  almost  as  large  as  the  head. 
The  ant  could  not  remove  it  herself.  Being  a  queen, 
she  did  not  come  out  of  the  nest,  so  that  I  could  not 
do  it  for  her,  and  none  of  her  own  companions  thought 
of  performing  this  kind  office. 

In  character  the  different  species  of  ants  differ  very 


<«^/MS«u.'  wuiiiiuu. '  iiMJViuvuiKiNiun  w  n  ■  nw  iv  whjh 


Mi)«HBHVB7mtf  wmwvbvfl 


CII A  RACTER-INDUSTKY. 


27 


much  from  one  another.  F,  fusca  (PI.  I.  fig.  3),  the 
one  which  is  ])re-eminently  the  '  slave '  ant,  is,  a? 
might  be  expected,  extremely  timid  ;  while  the  nearly 
allied  F,  cinerea  has,  on  the  contrary,  a  considerable 
amount  of  individual  audacity.  F.  rufa  (PI.  II.  fig.  5\ 
the  horse  ant,  is,  according  to  ]\I.  P'orel,  especially 
chiu-acterised  by  the  want  of  individual  initiative, 
and  always  moves  in  troops ;  he  also  regards  the 
gcmis  Formica  as  the  most  brilliant;  though  others 
excel  it  in  other  respects,  as,  for  instance,  in  the 
sharpness  of  their  senses.  F,  jjnttensis  worries  its 
slain  enemies ;  F.  sanrjuinea  (PL  I.  fig.  6)  never 
does  so.  The  slave-making  ant  (P,  rufescens,  PL  I 
fig.  5)  is,  perhaps,  the  bravest  of  all.  If  a  single  indi- 
vidual finds  herself  surrounded  by  enemies,  she  never 
attempts  to  fly,  as  any  other  ant  would,  but  transfixes 
her  oi)ponents  one  after  another,  springing  right  and 
left  with  great  agility,  till  at  length  she  succumbs, 
overpowered  by  numbers.  M,  scahrhiodts  is  cowardly 
and  thievish  ;  during  wars  among  the  laiger  species 
they  haunt  the  battle-fields  and  devour  the  dead. 
Tetramorinm  is  said  to  be  very  greedy ;  Myrmecina 
very  })hlegmatic. 

In  industry  ants  are  not  surpassed  even  bv  bees 
and  wasps.  They  work  all  day,  and  in  warm  weather, 
if  need  be,  even  at  night  too.  I  once  watched  an  ant 
from  six  in  the  moiuing,  and  she  worked  without 
intermission  till  a  quarter  to  ten  at  night.  I  had  put 
her  to  a  saucer  containing  larva^,  and  in  this  time  she 


28 


GAMRa 


carried  off  no  less  than  a  hundred  and  eighty-seven  to 
the  nest.  I  had  another  ant,  which  I  employed  in  my 
experiments,  under  continuous  observation  several  days. 
When  I  started  for  liondon  in  the  morning,  and  again 
when  I  went  to  bed  at  night,  I  used  to  put  her  in  a 
small  bottle,  but  the  moment  she  was  let  out  she 
began  to  work  again.  On  one  occasion  I  was  away 
fiom  home  for  a  week.  On  my  return  I  took  her  out 
of  the  bottle,  placing  her  on  a  little  heap  of  larva3 
about  three  feet  from  the  nest.  Under  these  circum- 
stances I  certainly  did  not  expect  her  to  return.  How- 
ever, though  she  had  thus  l)een  six  days  in  confine- 
ment, the  brave  little  creature  immediately  picked  up 
a  larva,  carried  it  off  to  the  nest,  and  after  hidf  an 
hour's  rest  returned  for  another. 

Our  countryman  Gould  noticed'  certain  'amuse- 
ments '  or  *  sportive  exercises,'  which  he  had  observed 
among  ants.  Huber  also  mentions^  scenes  which  he 
had  witnessed  on  the  surface  of  ant  hills,  and  which, 
he  says,  'I  dare  not  qualify  with  the  title  gymnastic, 
although  they  bear  a  close  resemblance  to  scenes  of 
that  kind.'  The  ants  raised  themselves  on  their  hind 
legs,  caressed  one  another  with  their  antenna?,  engaged 
in  mock  combats,  and  almost  seemed  to  be  playing 
hide  and  seek.  P'orel  entirely  confirms  Huber's  state- 
ments,   though    he   was    at    first    incredulous.      He 


says :  ^ — 


An  Account  of  English  Ants,  p.  103. 


'  Nat  Hist,  of  Ants,  p.  197. 


•  Lac.  cit.y  p.  867. 


CLEANLINESS. 


29 


'  Malgre  Texactitude  avec  laquelle  il  decrit  ce  fait, 
j'avais  peine  a  y  croire  avant  de  I'avoir  vu  moi-meme, 
mais  une  fourmiliere  pratensis  m'en  donna  I'exemi.le  a 
plu^ieurs  reprises  lorsque  je  I'approchai  avec  precaution. 
Des  5  (/.e.  workers)  se  saisissaient  par  les  pattes  ou 
par  les  mandibules,  se  roulaient  par  terre,  puis  se 
retachaicnt,  s'entrainaient  les  unes  les  autres  dans  les 
trous  de  leur  dome  pour  en  ressortir  aussitot  apres,  etc. 
Tout  cela  sans  aucun  acharnement,  sans  venin  ;  il  et^iit 
evident  que  c'etait  purement  amical.  Le  moindre 
souffle  de  ma  part  mettait  aussitot  fin  a  ces  jeux. 
J'avoue  que  ce  fait  pent  paraitre  imaginaire  a  qui  ne 
la  pas  vu,  quand  on  pense  que  I'attrait  des  sexes  ne 
pent  en  etre  cause.' 

Bates,  also,  in  the  case  of  Eciion  lefjiouis,  observed 
behaviour  which  looked  to  him  '  like  simple  indulgence 
in  idle  amusement,  the  conclusion,'  he  says,  '  that  the 
ants  were  engaged  merely  in  play  wis  irresistible.'  * 

Lastly,  I  may  observe  that  ants  are  very  cleanly 
animals,  and  assist  one  another  in  this  respect.  I  have 
often  seen  them  licking  one  another.  Those,  moreover, 
which  I  painted  for  facility  of  recognition  were  gradu- 
ally cleaned  bj  their  friends. 


'  Lor.  rit.,  VI)]  ii.  p.  362. 


CHAPTER  11. 

ON   THE   FORMATION    AND    MAINTENANCE    OF   NESTS,    A^D 
ON   THE    DIVISION   OF   LABOUR. 

It  is  remarkable  that  notwithstanding  the  researches  of 
so  many  excellent  observers,  and  though  ants'  nests 
swarm  in  every  field  and  every  wood,  we  did  not  know 
how  their  nests  commence. 

Three  principal  modes  have  been  suggested.  After 
the  marriage-flight  the  young  queen  may  either— 

1.  Join  her  own  or  some  other  old  nest ; 

2.  Associate  herself  with  a  certain  number  of 
workers,  and  with  their  assisUmce  commence  a  new 
nest ;  or 

3.  Found  a  new  nest  by  herself. 

The  question  can  of  course  only  be  settled  by  ob- 
servation, and  the  experiments  made  to  determine  it 
had  hitherto  been  indecisive. 

Blanchard,  indeed,  in  his  work  on  the  *  ^Ntutamor- 
phoses  of  Insects'  (I  quote  from  Dr.  Duncan's  transla- 
ti(»n,  p.  205 j,  says: — '  Iluber  observed  a  solitary  female 
go  down  into  a  small  under-ground  hole,  take  otf  her 
own  wings,  and  become,  as  it  were,  a  worker ;  then  she 
constructed  a  small  nest,  laid  a  few  eggs,  and  brought 


ORIGIN   OF  AN   ANTS'  NEST. 


31 


Up  the  larva3  by  acting  as  mother  and  nurse  at  the  same 
time.' 

This,  however,  is  not  a  correct  version  of  what 
Huber  says.  His  words  are  : — '  I  enclosed  several  females 
in  a  vessel  full  of  light  humid  earth,  with  which  they 
constructed  lodges,  where  they  resided,  some  singly, 
others  in  common.  They  laid  their  eggs  and  took  great 
care  of  them  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  inconvenience 
of  not  being  able  to  vary  the  temperature  of  their  habi- 
tation, they  reared  some,  which  became  larvae  of  a 
tolcraljle  size,  but  which  soon  perished  from  the  effect 
of  my  own  negligence.'  * 

It  will  be  observed  that  it  was  the  eggs,  not  the 
larvae,  which,  according  to  Huber,  these  isolated  females 
reared.  It  is  true  that  he  attributes  the  early  and  uni- 
form death  of  the  larvte  to  his  own  nefjliijence,  but  the 
fact  remains  that  in  none  of  his  observations  did  aa 
isolated  female  hr'nm  her  offsininof  to  maturitv. 

Other  entomologists,  especially  Forel  and  Ebrard, 
have  repeated  the  same  observations  with  similar  results; 
and  as  yet  in  no  single  case  had  an  isolated  female  been 
known  to  bring  her  young  to  maturity.  Forel  even 
thought  himself  justified  in  concluding,  from  his  ob- 
servations and  from  those  of  Ebrard,  that  such  a  fact 
could  not  occur. 

Lepeletier  de  St.  Fargeau  ^  was  of  opinion  that  ants* 
TiL'sf  s  originate  in  the  second  mode  indicated  above,  and 


'  Xttffral  Jlhtory  of  Anta,  Ilubor,  p.  121. 

•  }ii»t.  Xat.  da  Ins.  llymcno^ttires,  vol.  i.  p.  143. 


32 


RELUCTANCE  TO  ADOPT  A  NEW  QUEKN. 


It  is,  indeed,  far  from  improbable  that  this  may  occur. 
No  clear  case  has,  however,  yet  been  observed.  M.  de 
St.  Fargeau  himself  observes  *  that  *  les  particularites 
qui  accompagnent  la  formation  premiere  d'une  fonr- 
miliere  sont  encore  incertaines  et  meriteraient  d'etre 
observees  avec  soin.' 

Under  these  circumstances  I  made  the  following 
experiments : — 

la.  I  took  an  old,  fertile,  queen  from  a  nest  of 
Lasius  Jlavus,  and  put  her  to  another  nest  of  the  same 
species.  The  workers  became  very  excited  and  attacked 
her. 

b,  I  repeated  the  experiment,  with  the  same  result. 

c.  Do.  do.  In  this  case  the  nest  to  which  the  queen 
was  transferred  was  without  a  queen;  still  they  would 
not  receive  her. 

d  and  e.     Do.  do.  do. 

I  conclude,  then,  that,  at  any  rate  in  the  case  of  L, 
flavits,  the  workers  will  not  adopt  an  old  queen  from 
another  nest. 

The  following  observation  shows  that,  at  any  rate 
in  some  cases,  isolated  queen  ants  are  capable  of  giving 
origin  to  a  new  community. 

On  August  14,  187G,  I  isolated  two  pairs  of  ^fyV' 
mica  ruginodis  which  I  found  flying  in  my  garden.  I 
placed  them  with  damp  earth,  food,  and  water,  and 
they  continued  perfectly  healthy  through  the  winter. 


'   Hut.  Xdt.  dt'S  Ins.  Jlt/minojdcri's,  vol.  i.  p.  144 


ORIGIN   OF  A  NEST   OF  MYRMICA. 


S3 


In  April  one  of  the  males  died,  and  the  second  in  the 
middle  of  May.  The  first  eggs  were  laid  between  Apiil 
12  and  23.  They  began  to  hatch  the  first  week  in 
June,  and  the  first  larva  turned  into  a  chrysalis  on 
the  27th;  a  second  on  the  30th;  a  third  on  July  1, 
when  there  were  also  seven  larvoe  and  two  esQS,  On 
the  8th  there  was  another  egg.  On  July  8  a  fourth 
larva  had  turned  into  a  pupa.  On  July  111  found 
there  were  six  eggs,  and  on  the  14th  about  ten.  On  the 
15th  one  of  the  pupa3  began  to  turn  brown,  and  the 
eggs  were  about  15  in  number.  On  the  16th  a  second 
pupa  began  to  turn  brown.  On  the  2 1st  a  fifth  larva 
had  turned  into  a  pupa,  and  there  were  about  20  eggs. 
On  July  22  the  first  worker  emerged,  and  a  sixth  larva 
had  changed.  On  the  25th  I  observed  the  young  worker 
carrying  the  larvae  about  when  I  looked  into  the  nest ; 
a  second  worker  was  coming  out.  On  July  28  a  third 
worker  emerged,  and  a  fourth  on  Aug  5.  The  eggs 
appeared  to  be  less  numerous,  and  some  had  probably 
been  devoured. 

This  ex{)eriment  shows  that  the  queens  of  Myrmica 
ruginodls  have  the  instinct  of  bringing  up  larvoe  and  the 
power  of  founding  communities.  The  workers  remained 
about  six  weeks  in  the  egg,  a  month  in  the  state  of 
larva*,  and  twenty-five  to  twenty-seven  days  as  pupa*. 

Since,  however,  cases  are  on  record  in  which  com- 
munities are  known  to  have  existed  for  many  years, 
it  seems  clear  that  fresh  queens  must  be  sometimes 
adopted.     I  have  indeed  recorded  several  experimenti 


34 


ADOPTION   OF  A  QUEKN. 


FERTILE  WORKERS. 


35 


in  which  fertile  queens  introduced  into  queenless  nesta 
were  ruthlessly  attacked,  and  subsequent  experiments 
have  always  had  the  same  result.     :Mr.   .Tenner  Fust, 
liowever,  suggested  to  me  to  introduce  the  queen  into 
the  nest,  as  is  done  with  bees,  in  a  wiie  cao-e,  and  leave 
her  there  for  two  or  three  days,  so  tliat  the  workers 
might,  as  it  were,  get  accustomed  to  her.     Accordingly 
I  procured  a  queen  oi  F,ftisca  and  put  her  with  some 
honey  in  a  queenless  nest,  enclosed  in  a  wire  cage  so 
that  the  ants  could  not  get  at  her.     After  three  davs  I 
let  her  out,  but  she  was  at  once  attacked.     rerha[)s  I 
ought  to  have  waited  a  few  days  longer.     On  the  con- 
trary, Mr.  McCook  reports  a  case  of  the  adoption  of  a 
fertile  queen  of  Cremastoff aster  lineolata  by  i\  colony 
of  the   same  species:* — 'The    queen,'    he    says,  'was 
taken  April  IG,  and  on  May  14  following  was  introduced 
to  workers  of  a  nest  taken  the  same  day.     The  queen 
was  alone    within   an   artificial    glass    formicary,   and 
several  workers  were  introduced.     One  of  these  soon 
found  the  queen,  exhibited  much   excitement  but  no 
hostility,  and  immediately  ran  to  her  sister  workers,  all 
of  whom  were    presently   clustered    upon   the    queen. 
As  other  workers  were  gradually  introduced  they  joined 
their  comrades,  until   the  body  of  the  queen  (who  is 
much  larger  than  the  workers)  was  nearly  covered  with 
them.     They  appeared  to  be  holding  on  by  their  man- 
dibles to  the  delicate  hairs  uprm  the  female's  body,  and 

'  Proc.  Acad  Natural  Scictu'tn  of  Phihidelphia,  \d>l\^.     •  Note  on 
Iho  Adoption  of  an  Ant-Queen,'  by  Mr  McCook,  p.  139 


continually  moved  their  antennae  caressingly.  This 
sort  of  attention  continued  until  the  queen,  escorted  bji 
workers,  disappeared  in  one  of  the  galleries.  She  was 
entirely  adopted,  and  tliereafter  was  often  seen  moving 
freely,  or  attended  by  guards,  about  the  nest,  at  times 
engaged  in  attending  the  larviB  and  pupae  which  had 
been  introduced  with  the  workers  of  the  strange  colony. 
The  workers  were  fresh  from  their  own  natural  home,  and 
the  queen  had  been  in  an  artificial  home  for  a  month.' 

In  no  case,  however,  when  I  have  put  a  queen  into 
one  of  my  nests  has  she  been  accepted. 

Possibly  the  reason  for  the  difference  may  be  that 
the  ants  on  which  I  experimented  had  been  long  living 
in  a  republic  ;  for,  I  iim  informed,  that  if  bees  have  been 
long  without  a  queen  it  is  impossible  to  induce  them  to 
accept  another. 

Moreover,  I  have  found  that  when  I  put  a  queen 
with  a  few  ants  from  a  stranije  nest  thev  did  not 
attack  her,  and  by  adding  others  gradually,  I  succeeded 
in  securing  the  throne  for  her. 

It  is  generally  stated  that  among  ants  the  queens 
only  lay  eggs.     This,  however,  is  not  correct. 

Denny '  and  Lespes  -  have  shown  that  the  workers 
also  are  capable  of  produeing  eggs ;  but  the  latter  as- 
serted that  these  eggs  never  come  to  maturity.  Forel, 
however,  has  proved  ^  that  this   is  not  the  case,  but 

•  Anyt.  and  Maf/.  Xat.  TTistt.,  2ud  ser.,  vol.  L 
«  Ann.  dt8  Sc-i.  Nat.,  18(i:i. 

•  Fourmis  dt  la  Suisse,  p.  329. 


)>  ajj^^'^tf-grSaa^^-Jirf  J 


36 


EGGS  LAID  BY  FERTILE  WORKl-RS 


ALWAYS  PRODUCE  MALES. 


3V 


that  in  some  cases,  at  any  rate,  the  eggs  do  produce 
young.      Dewitz   even   maintains  >    that   the   workers 
habitually  hiy  eggs,  and  exi)huns  the  difference  which 
on  this  view  exists  between  the  workers  of  ants  and 
those  of  bees,  on  the  ground  ;hat  (as  he  supposes)  the 
majority  of  ants  die  in  the  autumn,  so  that  the  enns 
laid  by  the  queens  alone  would   not  be  sufficient  to 
stock  the  nest  in  the  spring  ;  while  among  bees  the 
majority  survive  the  winter,  and  consequently  the  eggs 
laid  by  the  queen  are  sufficient  to  maintain  the  num- 
bers of  the  community.     In  reply  to  this  argument,  it 
may  be  observed  that  among  wasps  the   workers  all 
perish  in  the  autumn,  while,  on  the  contrary,  among 
ants  I  have  proved  that,  at   least   as   regards   many 
species,  this  is  not  the  case.     Moreover,  although  eggs 
are  frequently  laid  by  workers,  this  is  not  so  often  the 
case  as  Dewitz  appears  to  suppose.     Forel  apj)ears  to 
have  only  observed  it  in  one  or  two  cases.     In  my 
nests  the  instances  were  more  numerous ;  and,  indeed, 
1  should  say  that  in  most  nests  there  were  a  few  fertile 
workers. 

Among  bees  and  wasps  also  the  workers  are  occa- 
sionally fertile  ;  but,  so  far  as  our  observations  go,  it  is 
a  curious  fact  that  their  eggs  never  produce  females, 
either  queers  or  workers,  but  always  males.  The  four 
or  five  specimens  bred  by  Forel  from  the  eggs  of 
workers  were,  moreover,  all  males. 

It  became  therefore  an  interesting  question  whether 
'  /itfit. ..  niss.  Zovl.,  vol.  zxviii.  p.  636. 


the  same  is  the  case  among  ants;  and  my  nests  have 
supplied  me  with  some  facts  bearing  on  the  question. 
Most  of  my  nests  contained  queens  ;  and  in  these  it 
would  be  impossible,  or  at  least  very  difficult,  to  dis- 
tinguish and  follow  the  comparatively  few  eggs  laid 
by  the  workers.  Some  of  my  nests,  however,  con- 
tained no  queen  ;  and  in  them  therefore  all  the  eggs 
must  have  been  laid  by  workers. 

One  of  these  was  a  nest  of  Formica  ciJierea,  which 
I  brought  back  from  Castellamare  in  November  1875. 
At  that  time  it  contained  no  efjofs  or  larvoe.  In  1876 
a  few  eggs  were  laid,  of  which  fifteen  came  to  maturity, 
and  were,  I  believe,  all  males.  In  1877  there  were 
fourteen  pupop,  of  which  twelve  came  to  maturity,  and 
were  all  males. 

Again,  in  a  nest  of  Lasius  nlrjer,  kept  in  captivity 
since  July  1875,  there  were  in  1876  about  100  young  ; 
and  these  were,  as  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  all  males. 
At  any  rate  there  were  about  100  males,  and  I  could 
not  find  a  single  young  female.  In  1877  there  were 
again  some  pupjc ;  but  owing  to  an  accident  none  of 
them  came  to  maturity.  In  1878  fifteen  came  to 
maturity  ;  and  fourteen  were  males.  The  other  I  could 
not  find  after  it  h^ft  the  pupa  skin ;  but  I  have  no 
doubt,  from  the  appearance  of  the  pupa,  that  it  was 
also  a  male. 

Another  nest  of  Lasius  ni(jer,  taken  in  November 
1875,  brought  in  1878  only  one  young  ant  to  maturity  ; 
and  this  was  a  male. 


.  jgagi.fT.>— j<jl 


38 


EGGS  LAID  BY  FERTILE  W0RKP:RS 


Again,  in  a  nest  of  Formica  fiisca,  taken  in  1875, 
though  in  1876  and  1877  eggs  were  laid  and  a  few 
arrived  at  the  pupa-state,  none  came  to  maturity. 
They  were  all,  however,  either  males  or  queens,  and,  1 
have  little  doubt,  were  males.  In  1878  one  came  to 
maturity,  and  it  was  a  male, 

A  nest  of  F.  fasca,  captiu-ed  in  1876,  did  not  bring 
up  any  young  in  1877.  In  1878  three  larvae  came  to 
maturity ;  and  they  all  proved  to  be  males.  Another 
nest  of  F.  fusca,  captured  in  1877,  in  1878  brought 
only  one  young  one  to  maturity.     This  was  a  male. 

In  the  following  year,  I  again  carefully  watched  my 
nests,  to  see  what  further  light  they  would  throw  on 
the  subject. 

In  six  of  those  which  contained  no  queen,  eggs 
were  produced,  which  of  course  must  necessarily  have 
been  laid  by  workers. 

The  first  of  these,  the  nest  of  Lasius  mger^ 
which  I  have  watched  since  July  1875,  and  which, 
therefore,  is  interesting  from  the  great  age  of  the 
workers,  about  ten  larva3  were  hatched,  but  only  four 
reached  the  pupa  state.  Of  these  one  dit>apj)eared ; 
the  other  three  I  secured,  and  on  examination  they  all 
proved  to  be  males.  The  nest  ef  Lasius  n></er,  which 
has  been  under  observation  since  November  1875,  pro- 
duced about  ten  pupae.  Of  these  I  examined  seven,  all 
of  which  I  found  to  be  males.  The  others  escaped  me. 
I  believe  that,  having  died,  they  were  brought  out  and 
thrown  away. 


ALWAYS  PRODUCE   MALES. 


39 


The  nest  of  Formica  cinerea,  captured  at  the  same 
fime,  produced  four  larvae,  all  of  which  perished  before 
arriving  at  the  pupa  stage.  The  larvai  of  males  and 
of  queens  are  much  larger  than  those  of  workers, 
and  these  larvae  were  too  big  to  have  been  those  of 
workers. 

In  a  nest  of  Formica  fusca,  wliich  I  have  had 
under  observation  since  August  1876,  three  pupse  were 
produced.  They  were  all  males.  Another  nest  of 
Formica  fusca  i)Yodnccd  a  single  young  one,  which  also 
was  a  male. 

Lastly,  my  nest  of  Polyergus  rufescens,  which  M. 
Forel  was  so  good  as  to  send  me  in  the  spring  of  1876, 
in  1879  produced  twelve  pupje.  Eleven  of  these  turned 
out  to  be  males.  The  other  one  I  lost ;  and  I  have 
little  dou])t  that  it  was  brought  out  and  thrown  away. 
It  was  certainly  not  a  worker.  As  regards  the  first 
three  of  these  pupje,  I  omitted  to  record  at  the  time 
whether  they  belonged  to  the  Pohjcrgus  or  to  the 
slaves,  though  I  have  little  doubt  that  thev  belonired  to 
the  former  species.  The  last  eight,  at  any  rate,  were 
males  of  Puli/en/us, 

Indeed,  in  all  of  my  queenless  nests,  males  have 
been  ]>rotluce(l ;  and  in  not  a  single  queenless  nest  has 
a  worker  laid  eggs  which  li:ue  produced  a  female,  either 
a  (jueen  or  a  worker.  Perhaps  I  ounrht  to  add  that 
workers  are  abmidantly  produced  in  those  of  my  nests 
^hieh  i)Ossess  a  queen. 

\Miile  great  numbers  of  workers  and  males  have 


40       QUEENS  SELDOM  PRODUCED   IN   CAPTIVITY. 


come  to  maturity  in  my  nests,  with  one  exception  not 
a  single  queen  has  been  produced. 

This  was  in  a  nest  of  FovTYiica  fusca,  in  which  five 
queens  came  to  maturity.  The  nest  (which,  I  need 
liardly  say,  possessed  a  queen)  had  been  under  observa- 
tion since  April  1879,  and  the  eggs  therefore  must 
have  been  laid  in  captivity.  The  nest  had  been  richly 
supplied  with  animal  food,  which  may  possibly  account 
for  the  fact. 

It  is  known  that  bees,  by  diflference  of  food,  c^e., 
possess  the  j^ower  of  obtaining  at  will  from  the  same 
eggs  either  queens  or  ordinary  workers.  ]Mr.  Dewitz,' 
however,  is  of  opinion  that  among  antf*,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  queens  and  workers  are  produced  from 
different  kinds  of  eggs.  He  remarks  that  it  is  very 
difficult  to  understand  how  the  instinct,  if  it  is  to  be 
called  instinct,  which  would  enable  the  workinjr  ants 
to  make  this  difference  can  have  arisen.  This  is  no 
doubt  true ;  but  it  seems  to  me  quite  as  difficult  to 
understand  how  the  queens,  which  must  have  originally 
laid  only  queen  eggs  and  male  eggs,  can  have  come  to 
produce  another  class.  Moreover,  however  great  the 
difficulty  may  be  to  understand  how  the  ants  can  have 
learnt  to  produce  queens  and  workers  from  one  kind  of 
egg,  the  same  difficulty  exists  almost  to  the  same 
extent  in  bees,  which,  as  Mr.  Dewitz  admits,  do  possess 
the  power.  Moreover,  it  seems  to  me  very  unlikely 
that  the  result  is  produced  in  one  way  in  the  case  of 

>  Zeit.fur  wiss.  Zool.  1878,  p.  101 


ORIGIN  OF  QUEENS. 


41 


bees,  and  in  another  in  that  of  ants.  It  is  also  a  strong 
iirgument  that  in  none  of  my  nests,  though  thousands 
of  workers  and  males  have  been  produced,  have  I  ever 
observed  a  queen  to  be  so  until  this  year.  On  the 
whole,  then,  though  I  differ  from  so  excellent  a  naturalist 
with  much  hesitation,  I  cannot  but  think  that  ants, 
like  bees,  possess  the  power  of  developing  a  given  egg 
into  either  a  queen  or  a  worker. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  the  previous  views 
as  to  the  duration  of  life  of  ants  turn  out  to  be  quite 
erroneous.  It  was  the  general  opinion  that  they  lived 
for  a  single  year.  Two  of  my  (jucen  ants  lived,  the 
one  nearly  fourteen,  the  other  nearly  fifteen  years,  viz. 
from  December  187-1  to  July  1887  and  August  1888 
respectively.  During  the  whole  time  they  enjoyed 
perfect  health,  and  every  year  have  laid  eggs  pro- 
ducing workers,  a  fact  which  suggests  physiological 
conclusions  of  i^n-eat  interest. 

I  have,  moreover,  little  doubt  that  some  of  the 
workers  now  in  this  nest  were  among  those  originally 
captured,  the  mortality  after  the  first  few  weeks  havincr 
been  but  small.     This,  however,  I  cannot  prove. 

A  nest  of  F.  sangumea,  which  M.  Forel  kindly 
forwarded  to  me  on  September  12,  1875  (but  which 
contained  no  queen),  gradually  diminished  in  numbers, 
until  in  February  1879  it  was  reduc(^d  to  two  F.  san- 
guineas  and  one  slave.  The  latter  died  in  P^bruary 
1880.  One  of  the  two  mistresses  died  between  May 
10  and  May  16,  1880,  and  the  other  only  survived  her 
5 


42 


LONGEVITY  OF  ANTS. 


AKRANCiEMEiNT   OF   A    NEiST. 


43 


a  few  clays,  dying  between  the  16th  and  20th.  These 
two  ants,  therefore,  must  have  been  five  years  old  at 
least.  It  is  certainly  curious  that  they  should,  after 
living  so  long,  have  died  within  ten  days  of  one 
another.  There  was  nothing,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  in 
the  state  of  the  nest  or  the  weather  to  account  for  this, 
and  they  were  well  supplied  with  food ;  yet  I  hardly 
ventiure  to  suggest  that  the  survivor  pined  away  for 
the  loss  of  her  companion. 

Some  workers  of  F,  clnerea  lived  in  one  of  my 
nests  from  Novemlier  1875  to  July  1881. 

In  a  nest  of  F.fusca,  which  I  brought  in  on  June 
6,  1875,  and  in  one  of  Lasiits  niger  brought  in 
on  July  25,  1875,  there  were  no  queens;  and,  as 
already  mentioned,  no  workers  have  been  produced. 
Those  now  living  (December  1881)  are  therefore  the 
original  ones,  and  they  nuist  be  more  than  six  years 
old. 

The  duration  of  life  in  ants  is  therefore  much 
greater  than  has  been  hitherto  supposed. 

Though  I  lose  many  ants  from  accidents,  especially 
in  summer,  in  winter  there  are  very  few  deaths. 

I  have  given  the  following  figure  (fig.  2),  which 
represents  a  typical  nest  belonging  to  Lasius  niger ^ 
because  it  is  a  good  instance  of  the  mode  in  which 
my  ants  excavated  chambers  and  galleries  for  1  hem- 
selves,  and  seems  to  show  some  ideas  of  stmtegy.  The 
nest  is,  as  usual,  between  two  plates  of  glass,  the  outer 
border  is  a  framework  of  wood,  and  the  shaded  part 


Fig.  2. 


<'rounrl  p]nn  of  a  typira!  nost  of  Lirsms-  virjer,  toc\ucv(].  a, 
narrow  doorway;  />,  hall  ;  (\  v«'stibul(':  .'/.  main  clianilur :  r.  iniicr 
sanctum  :  f,f,f,f,  narrow  entrance  passages  to  ^ianctum  ;  y,  g,  spe- 
cial pillars 


&tiaj:.-''iw#gf .»''' J  ...j^.g.jv..  _■■'*..'. 


i  ^•■f.jtf'ajJfcr'j^t.a  .ajrti»^.> 


44 


AJIRANGEMENT   OF  CHAMBERS. 


DIVISION  OF  LABOUR. 


46 


represents  garden  mould,  which  the  ants  have  them- 
selves excavated,  as  shown  in  the  figure.  For  the 
small  doorway  (a),  indeed,  I  am  myself  responsible. 
I  generally  made  the  doorways  of  my  nests  narrow,  so 
as  to  check  evaporation  and  keep  the  nests  from 
becoming  too  dry.  It  will  he  observed,  however,  that 
behind  the  hall  (6)  the  entrance  contracts,  and  is  still 
further  protected  by  a  pillar  of  earth,  which  leaves  on 
either  side  a  narrow  passage  which  a  single  ant  could 
easily  guard,  or  which  might  be  quickly  blocked  up. 
Behind  this  is  an  irregular  vestibule  (c),  contracted 
again  behind  into  a  narrow  passage,  which  is  followed 
by  another,  this  latter  opening  into  the  main  chamber 
(cZ).  In  this  chamber  several  pillars  of  earth  are  left, 
almost  as  if  to  support  the  roof.  Behind  the  main 
chamber  is  an  inner  sanctum  divided  into  three  cham- 
bers, and  to  which  access  is  obtained  through  narrow 
entrances  (/,/,/,/>  Most  of  the  pillars  in  the  main 
chamber  are  irregular  in  outline,  but  two  of  them 
(S^v.^^)  were  regular  ovals,  and  round  each,  for  a  distance 
about  as  long  as  the  body  of  an  ant,  the  glass  had  been 
most  carefully  cleaned.  This  was  so  marked,  and  the 
edge  of  the  cleaned  portion  was  so  distinct,  that  it  is 
impossible  not  to  suppose  that  the  ants  must  have 
had  some  object  in  this  proceeding,  though  I  am  unable 
to  suggest  any  explanation  of  it. 

1  have  already  mentioned  [aiite,  p.  23),  that  there 
IS  evidence  of  some  division  of  labour  among  ants. 
Where,  indeed,  there  are  different  kinds  of  workers. 


this  is  self-evident,  but  even  in  species  where  the 
workers  are  all  of  one  type,  something  of  the  same 
kind  appears  to  occur. 

In  the  autumn  of  1875  I  noticed  an  ant  belonging 
to  one  of  my  nests  of  F.  fusca  out  feeding  alone.  The 
next  day  the  same  ant  was  again  out  by  herself,  and  for 
some  weeks  no  other  ant,  so  far  as  I  observed,  came  out 
to  the  food.  I  did  not,  however,  watch  her  with  suffi- 
cient regularity.  In  the  winter  of  1876,  therefore,  I 
kept  two  nests  under  close  observation,  having  arranged 
with  my  daughters  and  their  governess,  Miss  Wendland 
(most  conscientious  observers),  that  one  of  us  should 
look  at  them  once  an  hour  during  the  day.  One  of  the 
nests  contained  about  200  individuals  of  F,  fusca,  the 
other  was  a  nest  of  P.  rufescens  with  the  usual  slaves, 
about  400  in  number.  The  mistresses  themselves 
never  came  out  for  food,  leaving  all  this  to  the  slaves. 

We  began  watching  on  November  1,  but  did  not 
keep  an  hourly  register  till  the  20th,  after  which  date 
the  results  are  given  in  the  following  tables  {see 
Appendix).  Table  No.  1  relates  to  the  nest  of  F. 
fusca,  and  the  ants  are  denoted  by  numbers.  The 
hours  at  which  we  omitted  to  record  an  observation  are 
left  blank ;  when  no  ant  was  at  the  honey,  the  square  is 
marked  with  an  0.  An  ant,  marked  in  my  register  as 
No.  3,  was  at  the  time  when  we  began  observing  acting 
as  feeder  to  the  community. 

The  only  cases  in  which  other  ants  came  to  the  honey 
wore  at  2  P.M.  on  November  22,  when  another  ant  came 


■>>,  .»'Jirf'i3rt,',^tft-     .r'  r  .^  uSiA^lifwl^A'A 


46 


DIVISION   OF  L.AJ30UR. 


out,  whom  we  registered  as  No.  4,  another  on  the  28th, 
registered  as  No.  5.  Other  ants  carae  out  occasionally, 
but  not  one  came  to  rhe  honey  (except  the  above  men- 
tioned) from  November  28  till  January  3,  when  another 
(whom  we  registered  as  No.  6)  began  feeding.  After 
this  a  friend  visited  the  honey  once  on  the  4th,  once 
on  the  11th,  and  again  on  the  loth,  when  she  was 
registered  as  No.  7. 

Table  No.  2  is  constructed  in  the  same  way,  but 
refers  to  the  nest  of  Polyergus,  The  feeders  in  this 
case  were,  at  the  beginning  of  the  experiment,  regis- 
tered as  Nos.  5,  6,  and  7.  On  November  22  a 
friend,  registered  as  No.  8,  came  to  the  honey,  and 
again  on  December  11 ;  but  with  these  two  exceptions 
the  whole  of  the  supplies  were  carried  in  by  Nos.  5  and 
6,  with  a  little  help  from  No.  7. 

Thinking  now  it  might  be  alleged  that  possibly 
these  were  merely  unusually  activeor  greedy  individuals, 
I  imprisoned  No.  6  when  she  came  out  to  feed  on  the 
5th.  As  will  be  seen  from  the  table,  no  other  ant  had 
been  out  to  the  honey  for  some  days ;  and  it  could 
therefore  hardly  be  accidental  that  on  that  very  evening 
another  ant  i^then  registered  as  No.  9)  came  out  for 
food.  This  ant,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  tabh',  then 
took  the  place  of  No.  6,  and  (No.  5  being  imprisoned 
on  January  11)  took  in  all  the  supplies,  again  with  a 
little  help  from  No.  7.  So  matters  continued  till  the 
17th,  when  I  imprisoned  No.  9,  and  then  again,  i.e.  on 
the  19th,  another  aut  (No.  10)  came  out  for  the  food, 


aa&ifci^.jJteaaW< 


THE  HONEY  ANT. 


47 


aided,  on  and  after  the  22nd,  by  another.  No.  11.  This 
seems  to  me  very  curious.  From  November  1  to 
January  5,  with  two  or  three  casual  exceptions,  the 
whole  of  the  supplies  were  carried  in  by  three  ants, 
one  of  whom,  however,  did  comparatively  little.  The 
other  two  were  imprisoned,  and  then,  but  not  till  then, 
a  fresh  ant  appears  on  the  scene.  She  carried  in  the 
food  for  a  week ;  and  then,  she  being  imprisoned,  two 
others  undertook  the  task.  On  the  other  hand,  in 
Nest  1,  where  the  first  foragers  were  not  imprisoned, 
they  continued  during  the  whole  time  to  carry  in  the 
necessary  supplies. 

The  facts  therefore  certainly  seem  to  indicate  that 
certain  ants  are  told  off  as  foragers,  and  that  during 
winter,  when  little  food  is  required,  two  or  three  are 
sufficient  to  provide  it. 

I  have,  indeed,  no  reason  to  suppose  that  in  our 
English  ants  any  particular  individuals  are  specially 
adapted  to  serve  as  receptacles  of  food.  M.  Wesmael, 
however,  has  described  *  a  remarkable  genus  {Myrmeco- 
cystiis  mexicanus),  brought  by  jNI.  de  Normann  from 
Mexico,  in  which  certain  individuals  in  each  nest  serve 
as  animated  honey-pots.  To  them  the  foragers  bring 
their  supplies,  and  their  whole  duty  seemstobe  to  receive 
the  honey,  retain  it,  and  redistribute  it  when  required. 
Their  abdomen  becomes  enormouslv  distended,  the  in- 
tc^rsegmental  membranes  being  so  much  extended  that 


*  Bull,  de  VAcad  des  Sci.  de  Bnu^ellcs^  vol.  v.  p.  771. 


48 


THE  HONEY  ANT. 


the  chitinous  segments  which  alone  are  visible  exter- 
nally in  ordinary  ants  seem  like  small  brown  transverse 
bars.  The  account  of  these  most  curious  insects  given 
by  MM.  de  Normann  and  Wesmael  has  been  fully  con- 
firmed by  subsequent  observers ;  as,  for  instance,  by 
Lucas,^  Saunders,^  Edwards,'  Blake,*  Loew,'^  and 
McCook.6 

On  one  very  important  point,  however,  M.  Wesmael 
was  in  error ;  he  states  that  the  abdomen  of  these  ab 
normal  individuals  '  ne  contient  aucun  organe ;  ou 
plutot,  il  n'est  lui-meme  qu'un  vaste  sac  stomacal.' 
Blake  even  asserts  that  '  the  intestine  of  the  insect  is 
not  continued  beyond  the  thorax,'  which  must  surely  be 
a  misprint ;  and  also  that  there  is  no  connexion  between 
the  stomach  and  the  intestine !  These  statements, 
however,  are  entirely  erroneous ;  and,  as  INI.  Forel  has 
shown,  the  abdomen  does  really  contain  the  usual  organs, 
which,  however,  are  very  easily  overlooked  by  the  side 
of  the  gigantic  crop. 

I  have  therefore  been  much  interested  in  receiving: 
a  second  species  of  ant,  which  has  been  sent  me  by 
Mr.  Waller,  in  which  a  similar  habit  has  been  evolvgd 
and  a  similar  modification  has  been  produced.  The  two 
species,  however,  are  very  distinct,  belonging  to  totally 


*  Ann.  Soo.  Ent.  de  France,  v.  p.  111. 

*  Canadian  Entomolof/ist,  vol.  vii.  p.  1^. 

*  P/'oc.  California  Academy,  1873. 

*  Ihid.,  1874. 

'  American  Nat.,  viii.  1874. 

*  The  Honey  AnU. 


HONEY  ANTS. 


49 


different  genera ;  and  the  former  is  a  native  of  Mexico, 
while  the  one  now  described  comes  from  Adelaide  in 
Australia.  The  two  species,  therefore,  cannot  be  de- 
scended one  from  the  other  ;  and  the  conclusion  seems 
inevitable  that  the  modification  has  originated  inde- 
pendently in  the  two  species. 

It  is  interesting  that,  although  these  specimens 
apparently  never  leave  the  nest,  and  have  little  use 
therefore  for  legs,  mandibles,  &c.,  the  modifications 
which  they  have  undergone  seem  almost  confined  to  the 
abdominal  portion  of  the  digestive  organs.  The  head 
and  thorax,  antennae,  jawf^,  legs,  ifcc.  differ  but  little 
fioDc  those  of  ordinary  ants. 


CHAPTER  III. 


ON   THE   RELATION   OF   ANTS   TO    PLANTS. 


It  i?  now  generally  admitted  that  the  form  and  colour, 
the  scent  and  honey  of  flowers,  are  mainly  due  to  the 
unconscious  agency  of  insects,  and  especially  of  bees 
Ants  have  not  exercised  so  great  an  influence  over  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  nevertheless  they  have  by  no 
means  been  without  effect. 

The  great  object  of  the  beauty,  scent,  and  honey 
of  flowers,  is  to  secure  cross  fertilisation ;  but  for  this 
purpose  winged  insects  are  almost  necessary,  because 
they  fly  readily  from  one  plant  to  another,  and  gener- 
ally confine  themselves  for  a  certain  time  to  the  same 
species.  Creeping  insects,  on  the  other  hand,  naturally 
W'juld  pass  from  one  flower  to  another  on  the  same 
plant ;  and  as  Mr.  Darwin  has  shown,  it  is  desirable 
Ihat  the  pollen  should  be  brought  from  a  different 
plant  altogether.  Moreover,  when  ants  quit  a  plant, 
they  naturally  creep  up  another  close  by,  without  any 
regard  to  species.  Hence,  even  to  small  flowers,  such 
as  many  crucifers,  composites,  saxifrages,  &c.,  which, 
as  far  as  size  is  concerned,  might  well  be  fertilised  by 
ants,  the  visits  of  flying  insects  are  much  more  advan- 


k^-4« 


EXCLUSION   OF  ANTS  FROM  FLOWERS. 


51 


tageous.  Moreover,  if  larger  flowers  were  visited  by 
ants,  not  only  would  they  deprive  the  flowers  of  their 
honey  without  fulfilling  any  useful  function  in  return, 
but  they  would  probably  prevent  the  really  useful 
visits  of  bees.  If  you  touch  an  ant  with  a  needle  or  a 
bristle,  she  is  almost  siure  to  seize  it  in  her  jaws ;  and 
if  bees,  when  visiting  any  particular  plant,  were  liable 
to  have  the  delicate  tip  of  their  proboscis  seized  en  by 
the  horny  jaws  of  an  ant,  we  may  be  sure  that  such  a 
species  of  plant  would  soon  cease  to  be  visited.  On 
the  other  hand,  we  know  how  fond  ants  are  of  honey, 
and  how  zealously  and  unremittingly  they  search  for 
food.  How  is  it  then  that  they  do  not  anticipate  the 
bees,  and  secure  the  honey  for  themselves?  This  is 
guarded  against  in  several  ways. 

Belt  appears  to  have  been  the  first  naturalist  to 
call  attention  to  this  interesting  subject. 

*  !Many  flowers,'  he  says,*  '  have  contrivances  for  pre- 
venting useless  insects  from  obtaining  access  to  the 

nectaries. 

•  ••*.•• 

'  Great  attention  has  of  late  years  been  paid  by 
naturalists  to  the  wonderful  contrivances  amongst 
flowers  to  secure  cross  fertilisation,  but  the  struc- 
ture of  many  cannot,  I  believe,  be  understood,  unless 
we  take  into  consideration  not  only  the  beautiful  adap- 
tations for  securing  the  services  of  the  proper  insect  or 


'  I'he  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua.     By  Thos.  Belt.  F.G  S,,  pp.  13] 
and  133. 


52 


ISOLATION  BY  WATER. 


bird,  but  also  the  contrivances  for  preventing  insects 
that  would  not  be  useful  from  obtaining  access  to  the 
nectar.  Thus  the  immense  length  of  the  Angrcvcum 
sesquipedale  of  Madagascar  might,  perhaps,  have  been 
more  easily  explained  by  ]\Ir.  Wallace,  if  this  impor- 
tant purpose  had  been  taken  into  account.' 

Kerner  has  since  published  a  very  interesting 
work,'  especially  devoted  to  the  subject,  which  has 
been  translated  into  English  by  Dr.  Ogle. 

In  aquatic  plants,  of  course,  the  access  of  ants  is 
precluded  by  the  isolation  in  water.  Nay,  even  many 
land  plants  have  secured  to  themselves  the  same  advan- 
tage, the  leaves  forming  a  cup  round  the  stem.  Some 
species  have  such  a  leaf-cup  at  each  joint,  in  others 
there  is  only  a  single  basin,  formed  by  the  rosette  of 
radical  leaves.  In  these  receptacles  rain  and  dew 
not  only  collect,  but  are  retained  for  a  considerable 
time.  In  our  own  country  Dipsacus  sylvestris  (the 
common  teazle)  is  the  best  marked  instance  of  this 
mode  of  protection,  though  it  is  possible  that  these 
cups  serve  another  purpose,  and  form,  as  suggested  by 
Francis  Darwin,  traps  in  which  insects  are  caught,  and 
in  which  they  are  dissolved  by  the  contained  fluid,  so 
as  to  serve  as  food  for  the  plant.  However  this  may 
be,  the  basins  are  generally  found  to  contain  water, 
even  if  no  rain  has  fallen  for  some  days,  and  must, 
therefore,  serve  to  prevent  the  access  of  ants. 

The  next  mode  of  protection  is  by  means  of  slippery 

*  Kernel ;  Floyvcrg  and  their  Unhidden  Guests. 


SLIPPERY  SURFACES. 


53 


Burfaces.  In  this  case,  also,  the  leaves  often  foim  a 
collar  round  the  stem,  with  curved  surfaces  over  which 
ants  cannot  climb.  '  I  have  assured  myself,'  says 
Kerner,  *  not  only  by  observation,  but  by  experiment, 
that  wingless  insects,  and  notably  ants,  find  it  impos- 
sible to  mount  upwards  over  such  leaves  as  these. 
The  little  creatures  run  up  the  stem,  and  may  even 
not  unfrequently  traverse  the  under  surface  of  the 
leaves,  if  not  too  smooth  ;  but  the  reflexed  and  slip- 
pery margin  is  more  than  the  best  climbers  among 
them  can  get  over,  and  if  they  attempt  it  they  invari- 
ably fall  to  the  ground.  There  is  no  necessity  for  the 
lamina  of  the  leaf  to  be  very  broad  ;  even  narrow 
leaves,  as,  for  instance,  those  of  Gentiana  firma,  are 
enough  for  the  purpose,  supposing,  of  course,  that  the 
margin  is  bent  backwards  in  the  way  described.' 

Of  this  mode  of  protection  the  cyclamen  and  snow- 
drop offer  familiar  examples.  In  vain  do  ants  attempt 
to  obtain  access  to  such  flowers,  the  curved  surfaces 
baffle  them ;  when  they  come  to  the  edge  they  inevit- 
al)ly  drop  oft'  to  the  gi'ound  again.  In  fact,  these 
pendulous  flowers  protect  the  honey  as  eff'ectually 
from  the  access  of  ants,  as  the  hanging  nests  of  the 
weaver  and  other  birds  protect  their  eggs  and  young 
from  the  attacks  of  reptiles. 

lu  a  third  series  of  plants  tiie  access  of  creeping 
insects  is  imj)edcd  or  altogether  prevented  by  certain 
parts  of  the  flower  being  crowded  together  so  as  to 
leave  either  a  very  narrow  passage  or  none  at  all.   Thufl 


I.-"- ^-.  .^' ■,./,•---   -   ■^■-^-■.■.  .■■■■  •■r,.'^  ■■■«■■;-•■■».  •■■■.j-JJiiA;.^-- 


54 


CLOSED  FLOWERS. 


the  Antirrhinum^  or  Suapdragon,  is  completely  closed, 
and  only  a  somewhat  powerful  insect  can  force  its  way 
in.  The  flower  is  in  fact  a  strong  box,  of  which  the 
Humble-bee  only  has  the  key.  The  Linariasare  another 
case  of  this  kind.  The  Campanulas,  again,  are  open 
flowers,  but  the  stamens  are  swollen  at  the  base, 
and  in  close  contact  with  one  another,  so  that  they 
form  the  lid  of  a  hollow  box  in  which  the  honey  is 
secreted.  In  some  species  the  same  object  is  effec- 
ted by  the  stamens  being  crowded  together,  as  in 
some  of  the  white  ranunculuses  of  the  Alps.  In 
other  case.-,  the  flower  forms  a  narrow  tube,  still 
further  protected  by  the  presence  of  hairs,  sometimes 
scattered,  sometimes,  as  in  the  white  dead  nettle, 
forming  a  row. 

In  others,  as  in  some  species  of  Narcissus,  Primula, 
Pedicularis,  &c.,  the  tube  itself  is  so  narrow  that  even 
an  ant  could  not  force  its  way  down. 

In  others,  again,  as  in  some  of  the  Gentians,  the 
opening  of  the  tube  is  protected  by  the  swollen  head 
of  the  pistil. 

In  others,  as  in  clover,  lotus,  and  many  other 
Leguminoace,  the  ovary  and  the  stamens,  which  cling 
round  the  ovary  in  a  closely-fitting  tube,  fill  up  almost 
the  whole  space  between  the  petals,  leaving  only  a 
very  narrow  tube. 

Lastly,  in  some,  as  in  Geranium  rohertianuWj 
Linum  catkarticum,  &c.,  the  main  tube  itself  is 
divided  by  ridges  into  several  secondary  ones. 


k«''jaa'^ 


PROTECTION   BY  TniCKETS   OF  HAIRS. 


55 


In  still  more  numerous  species  the  access  of  ants 
and  other  creeping  insects  is  prevented  by  the  presence 
of  spines  or  hairs,  which  constitute  a  veritable  chevaux 
de  ftnse.  Often  these  hairs  are  placed  on  the  flowers 
themselves,  as  in  some  verbenas  and  gentians.  Some- 
times the  whole  plant  is  more  or  less  hairy,  and  it 
will  be  observed  that  the  hairs  of  plants  have  a  great 
tendency  to  point  downwards,  which  of  course  con- 
stitutes them  a  more  efficacious  barrier. 

In  another  class  of  cases  access  to  the  flowers  is 
prevented  by  viscid  secretions.  Everyone  who  has  any 
acquaintance  with  botany  knows  how  many  species 
bear  the  specific  name  of  '  Viscosa '  or  '  Glutinosa.' 
We  have,  for  instance,  Bartsia  viscosa,  Rohinia  viscosa, 
Linum  viscosum,  Euphrasia  viscosa^  Silenc  viscosa, 
Dianthus  viscidus,  Senecio  viscosus,  Holosteum  gki- 
tinosum,  &c.  Even  those  who  have  never  opened  a 
botanical  work  must  have  noticed  how  many  plants  are 
more  or  less  sticky.  Why  is  this  ?  What  do  the  plants 
gain  by  this  peculiarity?  The  answer  probably  is,  at 
any  rate  in  most  cases,  that  creeping  insects  are  thus 
kept  from  the  flowers.  The  viscid  substance  is  found 
most  frequently  and  abundantly  on  *^  e  peduncles  im- 
mediately below  the  blossoms,  or  even  on  the  blossoms 
themselves.  In  Epimedium  alpinum,  for  instance, 
the  leaves  and  lower  parts  of  the  stem  are  smooth, 
while  the  peduncles  are  covered  with  glandular,  viscid 
hairs.  The  number  of  small  insects  which  are  limed 
and  perish  on  such  plants  is  very  considerable.    Kenier 


66 


VISCIDITY  OF  PLANTS. 


counted  sixty-four  small  insects  on  one  inflorescence  of 
Lychnis  viscosa.  In  other  species  the  flower  is  viscid  ; 
as,  for  instance,  in  the  gooseberry,  Linncea  horealisy 
Plumbago  Europcea,  &c. 

Polygonum  amphibium  is  a  very  interesting 
case.  The  small  rosy  flowers  are  richly  supplied  with 
honey ;  but  from  the  structure  of  the  flower,  it  would 
not  be  fertilised  by  creeping  insects.  As  its  name 
indicates,  this  plant  grows  sometimes  on  land,  some- 
times in  water.  Those  individuals,  however,  which 
grow  on  dry  land  are  covered  by  innumerable  glan- 
dular viscid  hairs,  which  constitute  an  efi'ectual  pro- 
tection. On  the  other  hand,  tlie  individuals  which 
grow  in  water  are  protected  by  their  situation.  To 
them  the  glandular  hairs  would  be  useless,  and  in  fact 
on  such  specimens  they  are  not  developed. 

In  most  of  the  cases  hitherto  mentioned  the  viscid 
substance  is  secreted  by  glandular  hairs,  but  in  others 
it  is  discharged  by  the  ordinary  cells  of  the  surflice. 
Kemer  is  even  of  opinion  that  the  milky  juice  of 
certain  plants— for  instance,  of  some  species  of  Lactuca 
(lettuce)  — answers  the  same  purpose.  He  placed 
several  kinds  of  ants  on  these  plants,  and  was  suq)rised 
to  find  that  their  sharp  claws  cut  through  the  delicate 
epidermis;  while  through  the  minute  clefts  thus  made 
the  milky  juice  quickly  exuded,  by  which  the  ants 
were  soon  glued  down.  Kemer  is  even  disposed  to 
suggest  that  the  nectaries  which  occur  on  certain 
leaves   are  a  means  of  protection  against  the  unwel- 


ANTS  PROTECTING   TKEES. 


67 


come,  because  unprofitable,  visits  of  creeping  insects, 
by  diverting  them  from  the  flowers. 

Thus,  then,  though  ants  have  not  influenced  the 
present  condition  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  to  the 
same  extent  as  bees,  they  have  also  had  a  very  con- 
siderable effect  upon  it  in  various  ways. 

Our  European  ants  do  not  strip  plants  of  their 
leaves.  In  the  tropics,  on  the  contrary,  some  species 
do  much  damage  in  this  manner. 

Bates  considers '  that  the  leaves  are  used  '  to  thatch 
the  domes  which  cover  the  entrances  to  their  subterra- 
nean dwellings,  thereby  protecting  them  from  the  rains.' 
Belt,  on  the  other  hand,  maintains  that  they  are  torn  up 
into  minute  fragments,  so  as  to  form  a  flocculent  mass, 
which  serves  as  a  bed  for  mushrooms  ;  the  aiits  are,  in 
fact,  he  says,  'mushroom  growers  and  eaters/' 

Some  trees  are  protected  by  one  species  of  ants 
from  others.  A  species  of  Acacia,  described  by  Belt, 
bears  hollow  thorns,  while  each  leaflet  produces  honey 
in  a  crater-formed  gland  at  the  base,  as  well  as  a  small, 
sweet,  pear-shaped  body  at  the  tip.  In  consequence,  it  is 
inhabited  by  myriads  of  a  small  ant,  which  nests  in  the 
hollow  thorns,  and  thus  finds  meat,  drink,  and  lodging 
all  provided  for  it.  These  ants  are  continuall}^  roaming 
over  the  plant:  and  constitute  a  most  efficient  bodj'- 
guard,  not  only  driving  off*  the  leaf-cutting  ants,  but, 
in  Belt's  opinion,  rendering  the  leaves  less  liable  to  be 

'  /.«><•.  cU.,  V.  i   p.  26. 

'  Loe.  cit.,  \).  79.    This  view  has  since  been  confirmed  by  Scbimpcr, 
Hot.  Mitt,  aus  den  Tropen.     Nr.  6. 
6 


isf  iTi  m  -n4vw 


58 


ANTS  AS  TREE-GUARDS. 


IN.SECTIVOROUS  ANTS. 


.59 


eaten  by  herbivorous  mammalia.  Delpino  mentiona 
that  01^  one  occasion  he  was  gathering  a  flower  of  Clero^ 
dendruin  fragrans,  when  he  was  himself  '  suddenly 
attacked  by  a  whole  army  of  small  ants.'  * 

Moseley  has  also  called  attention^  to  the  relations 
which  have  grown  up  between  ants  and  two  '  curious 
epiphytes,  Myrmecodia  armata  and  Ilydnophytum 
fm^micarum.  Both  plants  are  associated  in  their 
growth  with  certain  species  of  ants.  As  soon  as  the 
young  plants  develop  a  stem,  the  ants  gnaw  at  the  base 
of  this,  and  the  irritation  produced  causes  the  stem  to 
swell;  the  ants  continuing  to  irritate  and  excavate 
the  swelling,  it  assumes  a  globular  form,  and  may 
become  even  larger  than  a  man's  head. 

'  The  globular  mass  contains  within  a  labyrinth  of 
chambers  and  passages,  which  are  occupied  by  the  ants 
as'their  nest.  The  walls  of  these  chambers  and  the 
whole  mass  of  the  inflated  stem  retain  their  vitality 
and  thrive,  continuing  to  increase  in  size  with  growth. 
From  the  surface  of  the  rounded  mass  are  given  ofi* 
small  twigs,  bearing  the  leaves  and  flowers. 

'  It  appears  that  this  curious  gall-like  tumour  on 
the  stem  has  become  a  normal  condition  of  the  j)lants, 
which  cannot  thrive  without  the  ants.  In  Myrmpcodia 
armata  the  globular  mass  is  covered  with  spine-like 
excrescences.  The  trees  I  referred  to  at  Amboina  had 
these  curious  spine-ccvered  masses  perched  in   every 

*  Scientific  Lectures,  p.  ?3. 

•  Nates  by  a  Aaturalist  on  tJie  '  Chullenger^  p.  389. 


fork,  and  with  them  also  smooth  surfaced  masses  of  a 
species  of  HydiiophytumJ* 

There  are,  of  course,  many  cases  in  which  the  action 
of  ants  is  very  beneficial  to  plants.  They  kill  off*  a 
great/  number  of  small  caterpillars  and  other  insects. 
Forel  found  in  one  large  nest  that  more  than  twenty- 
eight  dead  insects  were  brought  in  per  minute ;  which 
would  give  during  the  period  of  greatest  energy  more 
than  100,000  insects  dc^stroyed  in  a  day  by  the 
inhabitants  of  one  nest  alone. 

Our  English  hunting  ants  generally  forage  alone. 
In  warmer  countries,  however,  they  hunt  in  packs,  or 
even  armies. 

As  already  mentioned,  none  of  our  northern  ants 
store  up  grain,  and  hence  there  has  been  much  dis- 
cussion as  to  the  well-known  passage  of  Solomon.  I 
have  indeed  observed  that  the  small  brown  ants,  Lasius 
niger,  sometimes  carry  seeds  of  the  violet  into  their 
nests,  but  for  what  purpose  is  not  clear.  It  is,  however, 
now  a  well-established  fact  that  more  than  one  species 
of  southern  ants  do  collect  seeds  of  various  kinds. 
The   fact,   of  course,  has  long  been  known  in   those 


regions. 


Indeed,  the  quantity  of  grain  thus  stored  up  is  some- 
times so  considerable,  that  in  the  *  Mischna,'  rules  are 
laid  down  with  reference  to  it ;  and  various  com- 
mentators, including  the  celebrated  Maimonides,  have 
discussed  at  length  the  question  whether  such  grain 
belonged  to  the  owner  of  the  land,  or  might  be  taken 


60 


haii\t:sting  ants. 


by  gleaners — giving  the  latter  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 
They  do  not  appear  to  have  considered  the  rights  of 
the  ants. 

Hope  ^  has  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  Meer 
Hassan  Ali,  in  his  '  History  of  the  Mussulmans,' 
expressly  mentions  it.  '  More  industrious  little  crea- 
tures,' he  says,  '  cannot  exist  than  the  small  red  ants, 
which  are  so  abundant  in  India.  I  have  watched  them 
at  their  labours  for  hours,  without  tiring.  They  are  so 
small,  that  from  eight  to  twelve  in  number  labour  with 
great  difficulty  to  convey  a  grain  of  wheat  or  barley, 
yet  these  are  not  more  than  half  the  size  of  a  grain  of 
English  wheat.  I  have  known  them  to  carry  one  of 
these  grains  to  their  nest,  at  a  distance  from  600  to 
1,000  yards.  They  travel  in  two  distinct  lines  over 
rough  or  smooth  ground,  as  it  may  happen,  even  up 
and  down  steps,  at  one  regular  pace.  The  returning 
unladen  ants  invariably  salute  the  burthened  ones,  who 
are  making  their  way  to  the  general  storehouse ;  but  it 
is  done  so  promptly,  that  the  line  is  neither  broken  nor 
their  progress  impeded  by  the  salutation.' 

Sykes,  in  his  account  of  an  Indian  ant,  Pheidole 
providens,'^  appears  to  have  been  the  first  of  modern 
scientific  authors  to  confirm  the  statements  of  Solomon. 
He  states  that  the  above-named  species  collects  large 
stores  of  grass  seeds,  on  which  it  subsists  from  February 


'  Traruf.  Ent.  Sue.  -840,  p.  213. 

-•  Ibid.    183G,   p.  99.     Dr.   Lincecum  has  also  made  a   similar 
obaervation. 


AGRICULTURAL  ANTS. 


Gl 


to  October.  On  one  occasion  he  even  observed  the 
ants  bringing  up  their  stores  of  grain  to  dry  them 
after  the  closing  thunderstorms  of  the  monsoon  ;  an 
observation  which  has  been  since  confirmed  by  other 
naturalists. 

It  is  now  known  that  harvesting  ants  occur  in  the 
warmer  part  of  Europe,  where  their  habits  have  been 
observed  with  care,  especially  by  Moggridge  and  Lespes. 
It  does  not  yet  seem  quite  clear  in  what  manner  the 
ants  prevent  the  grains  from  germinating.  Moggridge 
found  that  if  the  ants  were  prevented  from  entering 
the  granaries,  the  seeds  began  to  sprout,  and  that  this 
was  also  the  c<ase  in  deserted  granaries.  It  would  ap- 
pear therefore  that  the  power  of  germination  was  not 
destroyed. 

On  the  other  hand,  Lespes  confirms  the  statement 
long  ago  made  by  Pliny  that  the  ants  gnaw  off  the 
radicle,  while  P'orel  asserts  that  Attn  .stnictnr  allows 
the  seeds  in  its  granaries  to  coinnience  the  process  of 
germination  for  the  sake  of  the  sugar. 

A  Texan  ant,  Po(jonomymex  barbafus,  is  also  a 
harvesting  species,  storing  up  especially  the  grains  of 
Arisiida  olbjantha,  the  so-called  '  ant  rice,'  and  of  a 
grass,  Buchlcv  dadyloides.  These  ants  clear  disks,  ten 
or  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  round  the  entrance  to  their 
nest,  a  work  of  no  small  laboiu*  in  the  rich  soil,  and 
under  the  hot  sun,  of  Texas.  I  say  '  clear  disks,'  but 
some,  though  not  all,  of  these  disks  are  occupied,  espe- 
cially round  the  edge,  by  a  growth  of  ant  rice.     These 


TtifiTiin  Ttn  \tm  "rpai  wmaa 


02 


AGRICULTURAL  ANTS. 


ants  were  first  noticed  by  Mr.  Buckley,'  and  their 
habits  were  some  time  afterwards  described  in  more 
detail  by  Dr.  Lincecum,^  who  maintained  not  only  that 
the  ground  was  carefully  cleared  of  all  other  species  of 
plants,  but  that  this  grass  was  intentionally  cultivated 
by  the  ants.  Mr.  McCook,^  by  whom  this  subject  has 
been  recently  studied,  fully  confirms  Dr.  liincecura 
that  the  disks  are  kept  carefully  clean,  that  the  ant 
rice  alone  is  permitted  to  grow  on  them,  and  that  the 
produce  of  this  crop  is  carefully  harvested ;  but  he 
thinks  that  the  ant  rice  sows  itself,  and  is  not  actually 
cultivated  by  the  ants.  I  have  myself  observed  in 
Algeria,  that  certain  species  of  plants  are  allowed  by  the 
ants  to  grow  on  their  nests. 

'  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  PMlatlilphiay  1860. 

'  Linnean  Jmirnal,  1861,  p.  2J). 

•  The  Aat.  JJist.  of  the  Agricultural  Anti  of  Tewoi^  p.  88. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

ON   THE   RELATIONS   OF   AJNTS   TO   OTHER   ANIMALS. 

The  relations  existing  between  ants  and  other  animals  are 
even  more  interesting  than  their  relations  with  plants. 
As  a  general  rule,  not,  however,  without  many  remark- 
able exceptions,  they  may  be  said  to  be  those  of  deadly 
hostility. 

Though  honey  is  the  principal  food  of  mj^  ants, 
they  are  very  fond  of  meat,  and  in  their  wild  state 
ants  destroy  large  numbers  of  other  insects.  Our 
English  ants  generally  go  out  hunting  alone,  but 
man}'  of  the  species  living  in  hotter  climates  hunt  in 
packs,  or  even  in  armies. 

Savage  has  given  '  a  graphic  account  of  the  *  Driver ' 
ants  {Anomma  arcens  West.)  of  West  Africa.  They 
keep  down,  he  says,  'the  more  rapid  increase  of  noxious 
insects  and  smaller  reptiles ;  consume  much  dead 
animal  matter,  which  is  constantly  occurring,  decaying, 
becoming  ofit'ensive,  and  thus  vitiating  the  atmosphere, 
and  which  is  by  no  means  the  least  important  in  the 
Torrid  Zone,  often  compelling  the  inhabitants  to  keep 

•  'On  the  Habits  of  the  Driver  Ants,'    Trans.  Ent.  Soc,  1847 


■'.'C    ,,T.jg.if?-g'i!Aii»«M!»>i^a.j.-.'Si;»jiia 


64 


HUNTING    ANTS. 


their  dwellings,  towns,  and  their  vicinity  in  a  state  of 
comparative  cleanliness.  The  dread  of  them  is  upon 
every  living  thing 

'  Their  entrance  into  a  house  is  soon  known  by  the 
simultaneous  and  universal  movement  of  rats,  mice, 
lizards,  Blapsidae,  Blattidte,  and  of  the  numerous 
vermin  that  infest  our  dwellings.  Not  being  agreed, 
they  cannot  dwell  together,  which  modifies  in  a  good 
measure  the  severity  of  the  Drivers'  habits,  and  renders 
their  visits  sometimes  (though  very  seldom  in  my  view) 
desirable 

'  They  move  over  the  house  with  a  good  degree  of 
order,  unless  disturbed,  occasionally  spreading  abroad, 
ransacking  one  point  after  another,  till,  either  having 
found  something  desirable,  they  collect  upon  it,  when 
they  may  be  destroyed  en  masse  by  hot  water 

'  When  they  are  fairly  in,  we  give  up  the  house, 
and  try  to  await  with  patience  their  pleasure,  thankful, 
indeed,  if  permitted  to  remain  within  the  narrow  limits 
of  our  beds  or  chairs.* 

These  ants  will  soon  destroy  even  the  largest  animal 
if  it  is  confined.  In  one  case  Savage  saw  them  kill  near 
his  house  a  snake  four  feet  long.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that 
they  have  been  known  to  destroy  the  great  python, 
when  gorged  with  food  and  powerless.  The  natives 
even  believe  that  the  python,  after  crushing  its  victim, 
does  not  venture  to  swallow  it,  until  it  has  made  a 
search,  and  is  satisfied  that  there  are  no  Drivers  in  the 
-icinity!     It  is  very  remarkable  that  these   hunting 


ECITONS. 


65 


ants  are  blind.  They  emerge,  however,  principally  by 
night,  and  like  some  of  the  blind  hunting  ants  of 
Brazil  (Eciton  vastator  and  E.  erratica\  well  described 
by  Bates,*  prefer  to  move  under  covered  galleries,  which 
they  construct  rapidly  as  they  advance.  '  The  column 
of  foragers  pushes  forward  step  by  step,  under  the 
protection  of  these  covered  passages,  through  the 
thickets,  and  on  reaching  a  rotting  log,  or  other 
promising  hunting  ground,  pour  into  the  crevices  in 
search  of  booty.' 

The  marauding  troops   of  Ecitons   may,  in    some 
cases,  be  described  as  armies.     *  Wherever  they  move,' 
says  Bates,2  <  ^^q  whole  animal  world  is  set  in  commo- 
tion, and  every  creature  tries  to  get  out  of  their  way. 
But  it  is  especially  the  various  tribes  of  wingless  insects 
that  have  cause  for  fear,  such  as  heavy-bodied  spiders, 
ants  of  other  species,  maggots,  caterpillars,  larvse  of 
cockroaches,  and  so  forth,  all  of  which  live  under  fallen 
leaves  or  in  decaying  wood.     The  Ecitons  do  not  mount 
very  high  on  trees,  and  therefore  the  nestlings  of  birds 
are   not  much  incommoded  by  them.     The  mode  of 
operation  of  these  armies,  which  I  ascertained,  only 
after  lonf^-continued  observation,  is  as   follows:    The 
main  column,  from  four  to  six  deep,  moves  forward  in 
a  given  direction,  clearing  the  ground  of  all  animal 
matter  dead  or  alive,  and  throwing  off,  here  and  there, 
a  thinner  column  to  forage  for  a  short  time  on   the 

>  The  Xaturnligt  on  the  River  Amazon,  vol.  ii.  p.  364. 
»  Ibid.,  p.  358. 


66 


INSECTS  MIMICKING   ANTS. 


fianks  of  the  main  army,  and  re-enter  it  again  aftei 
their  task  is  accomplished.  If  some  very  rich  place  be 
encountered  anywhere  near  the  line  of  march— for 
example,  a  mass  of  rotten  wood  abounding  in  insect 
larvae,  a  delay  takes  place,  and  a  very  strong  force  of 
ants  is  concentrated  upon  it.' 

Belt,  also,  has  given '  an  excellent  account  of  these 
Ecitons.  He  observed  that  spiders  were  peculiarly 
intelligent  in  escaping  them,  making  off  several  yards 
in  advance ;  and  not  like  cockroaches  and  other  stupider 
insects,  taking  shelter  in  the  first  hiding-place,  where 
they  were  almost  sui'e  to  be  detected.  The  only  chance 
of  safety  was  either  to  run  right  away  or  to  stand  still. 
He  once  saw  a  Harvestman  {Pkalanfjimn)  standing 
in  the  midst  of  an  army  of  ants  with  the  greatest 
circumspection  and  coolness,  lifting  its  long  legs  one 
after  the  other.  Sometimes  as  many  as  five  out  of 
the  eight  would  be  in  the  air  at  once,  but  it  always 
found  three  or  four  spots  free  from  ants,  on  which  it 
could  safely  place  its  feet.  On  another  occasion.  Belt 
observed  a  green  leaf-like  locust,  which  remained  per- 
fectly still,  allowing  the  ants  to  run  over  it.  This 
they  did,  but  seem  to  have  been  quite  deceived  by  its 
appearance  and  immobility,  apparently  taking  it  for  a 
leaf. 

In  other  cases,  insects  mimic  ants,  and  thus  escape 
attack  or  are  able  to  stalk  their  prey.  Belt  mentions 
a  spider  which  in  its  form,  colour,  and  movements  80 

*  The  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua,  p.  17. 


■j^Sjit 


ENEMIES  OF  ANTS. 


67 


much  resembled  an  ant,  that  he  was  himself  for  some 
time  deceived. 

Nor  are  ants  without  their  enemies.  We  all  know 
how  fond  birds  are  of  their  larvae  and  pupre.  They  have 
also  numerous  parasites.  I  have  already  alluded  to  the 
mites  which  are  often  found  in  ants'  nests.  These  are 
of  several  kinds  ;  one  of  them,  not  uncommon  in  the 
nests  of  Lasius  fiavus,  turned  out  to  be  a  new  species, 
and  has  been  described  for  me  by  Mr.  Michael  {see 
Appendix). 

Certain  species  of  Diptera,  belonging  to  the  family 
Phoridae,  are  also  parasitic  on  ants.  As  already  men- 
tioned, I  forwarded  specimens  to  ]\Ir.  Verrall,  who  finds 
that  some  of  them  are  a  new  species  of  the  genus  Phora, 
and  that  among  them  is  also  the  type  of  a  new  genus, 
which  he  proposes  to  call  Platyphora,  doing  me  the 
honour  of  naming  the  species  after  me.  I  subjoin  his 
description  in  the  appendix. 

But  the  social  and  friendly  relations  which  exist 
between  ants  and  other  animals  are  of  a  more  complex 
and  much  more  interesting  character. 

It  has  long  been  known  that  ants  derive  a  very 
important  part  of  their  sustenance  from  the  sweet 
juice  excreted  by  aphides.  These  insects,  in  fact, 
as  has  been  over  and  over  again  observed,  are  the 
cows  of  the  ants;  in  the  words  of  Linnaeus,  'Aphis 
formicarum  vacca.'  A  good  account  of  the  rela- 
tions   existing   between  ants   and   aphides  was  given 


68 


DOMESTIC  ANIMALS   OF  ANTS. 


more  than  a  hundred  years  ago  by  the  Abbe  Boisier 
de  Sauvages.* 

Nor  are  the  aphides  the  only  insects  which  serve  as 
cows  to  the  ants.  V'arious  species  of  Coccidae, 
C:ercopis,  Centrotus,  Membracis,  &c.,  are  utilised  in  the 
same  manner.  H.  Edwards  2  and  M'Cook  ^  have  observed 
ants  licking  the  larva  of  a  butterfly,  Lycama  pseudar- 
giolus. 

The  different  species  of  ants  utilise  different  species 
of  aphis.  The  common  brown  garden  ant  (Lasius 
niger)  devotes  itself  principally  to  aphides  which 
frequent  twigs  and  leaves;  Lasius  brunneus,  to  the 
aphides  which  hve  on  the  bark  of  trees;  while  the 
little  yellow  ant  {Lasius  flavus)  keeps  flocks  and  herds 
of  the  root-feeding  aphides. 

In  fact,  to  this  difference  of  habit  the  difference  of 
colour  is  perhaps  due.  The  Baltic  amber  contains 
among  the  remains  of  many  other  insects  a  species  of 
ant  intermediate  between  our  small  brown  garden  ants 
and  the  little  yellow  meadow  ants.  This  is  possibly 
the  stock  from  which  these  and  other  allied  species  are 
descended.  One  is  tempted  to  suggest  that  the  brown 
species  which  live  so  much  in  the  open  air,  and  climb 
up  trees  and  bushes,  have  retained  and  even  deepened 
their  dark  colour;  while  others,  such  as  Lasius  flaviiSy 


•  Ohsen-ations   siir    Vorigine   dn   miel,   par   I'AbW    Boisier    <1« 
Bauvages,  Jowr.  de  Pkysiqve,  vol.  i.  p.  1 87. 

'  Canadian  EntomchtgUt,  Jannarv  1878. 

•  Tktf  Mound' making  AnU  of  the  Alhghcniei,  p.  289. 


APHIDES. 


69 


the  yellow  meadow  ant,  which   lives  almost  entirely 
below  ground,  has  become  much  paler. 

The  ants  may  be  said  almost  literally  to  milk  the 
aphides;  for,  as  Darwin  and  others  have  shown,  the 
aphides  generally  retiiin  the  secretion  until  the  ants 
are  ready  to  receive  it.  The  ants  stroke  and  caress  the 
aphides  with  their  antennae^  and  the  aphides  then 
emit  the  sweet  secretion. 

As  the  honey  of  the  aphides  is  more  or  less  sticky, 
it  is  probably  an  advantage  to  the  aphis  that  it  should 
be  removed.  Nor  is  this  the  only  service  which  ants 
render  to  them.  They  protect  them  from  the  attacks 
of  enemies ;  and  not  unfrequently  even  build  cowsheds 
of  earth  over  them.  The  yellow  ants  collect  the  root- 
feeding  species  in  their  nests,  and  tend  them  as  carefully 
as  their  own  young.  But  this  is  not  all.  The  ants  not 
only  guard  the  mature  aphides,  w^iich  are  useful ;  but 
also  the  eggs  of  the  aphides,  which  of  course,  until 
they  come  to  maturity,  are  quite  useless.  These  eggs 
were  first  observed  by  our  countryman  Gould,  whose 
excellent  little  work  on  ants  *  has  hardly  received  the 
attention  it  deserves.  In  this  case,  however,  he  fell 
into  error.  He  states  that  'the  queen  ant'  [he  is 
speaking  of  Lasius  flavus']  'lays  three  diflferent  sorts  of 
eggs,  the  slave,  female,  and  neutral.  The  two  first  are 
deposited  in  the  spring,  the  last  in.  July  and  part  of 
August;  or,   if  the  summer  be  extremely  favoui'able, 

*  An  Account  of  English  Aiita,  bv  the  Rev.   W.    Gould,  1747 
p.  36. 


gJ"-  >itf^i.,W(jf.  . 


70 


EGGS    OF  APHIDES  KEPT  TIIKOUGH 


perhaps  a  little  sooner.  The  female  eggs  are  covered 
with  a  thin  black  membrane,  are  oblong,  and  about 
the  sixteenth  or  seventeenth  part  of  an  inch  in  length. 
The  male  eggs  are  of  a  more  brown  complexion,  and 
usually  laid  in  March.' 

These  dark  egg3  are  not  those  of  ants,  but  of 
aphides.  The  error  is  very  pardonable,  because  the 
ants  treat  these  eggs  exactly  as  if  they  were  their  own, 
guarding  and  tending  them  with  the  utmost  care.  I 
first  met  with  them  in  February  1876,  and  was  much 
astonished,  not  being  at  that  time  aware  of  Huber's 
observations.  I  found,  as  Huber  had  done  before  me, 
that  the  ants  took  great  care  of  these  brown  bodies, 
carrying  them  off  to  the  lower  chambers  with  the 
utmost  haste  when  the  nest  was  disturbed.  I  brought 
some  home  with  me  and  put  them  near  one  of  my 
own  nests,  when  the  ants  carried  them  inside.  That 
year  I  was  unable  to  carry  my  observations  further. 
In  1877  I  again  procured  some  of  the  same  eggs,  and 
offered  them  to  my  ants,  who  carried  them  into  the 
nest,  and  in  the  course  of  March  I  had  the  satisftiction 
of  seeing  them  hatch  into  young  aphides.  M.  Huber, 
however,  did  not  think  that  these  were  ordinary  eggs. 
On  the  contrary,  he  agreed  with  Bonnet,  '  that  the 
insect,  in  a  state  nearly  perfect,  quits  the  body  of  its 
mother  in  that  covering  which  shelters  it  from  tlie  cold 
in  winter,  and  that  it  is  not,  as  other  germs  are,  in  the 
egg  surrounded  by  food  by  means  of  which  it  is  de- 
veloped and  supported.     It  is  nothing  more  than  an 


THE  WINTER  BY  ANTS. 


7) 


asylum  of  which  the  aphides  born  at  another  season 
have  no  need  ;  it  is  on  this  account  some  are  produced 
naked,  others  enveloped  in  a  covering.  The  mothers 
are  not,  then,  truly  oviparous,  since  their  young  are 
almost  as  perfect  as  they  ever  will  be,  in  the  asylum  in 
which  Nature  has  placed  them  at  their  birth.'  ^ 

This  is,  I  think,  a  mistake.  I  do  not  propose  here 
to  describe  the  anatomy  of  the  aphis ;  but  I  may 
observe  that  I  have  examined  the  female,  and  find 
these  eggs  to  arise  in  the  manner  described  by  Huxley ,2 
and  which  I  have  also  myself  observed  in  other  aphides 
and  in  allied  genera.^  Moreover,  I  have  opened  the  eggs 
themselves,  and  have  also  examined  sections,  and  have 
satisfied  myself  that  they  are  really  eggs  containing 
ordinary  yelk.  So  far  from  the  young  insect  being 
'  nearly  perfect,'  and  merely  enveloped  in  a  protective 
membrane,  no  limbs  or  internal  organs  are  present. 
In  fact,  the  young  aphis  does  not  develop  in  them 
until  shortly  before  they  are  hatched."* 

When  my  eggs  hatched  I  naturally  thought  that 
the  aphides  belonged  to  one  of  the  species  usually 
found  on  the  roots  of  plants  in  the  nests  of  Las  ins 
Jfavus.     To  my  surprise,  however,  the  young  creatures 

'   T/te  Natural  lllsiflnj  of  AnU,  by  M.  P.  Huber,  1820,  p.  24G. 

'■*  Linnean  Trauitaction»,  1858. 

'  Philosophical  Tranmriions,  1850. 

*  I  do  not  enter  here  into  the  technical  question  of  the  difference 
between  ova  and  pscudova.  I  believe  these  to  be  true  ova,  but  the 
point  is  that  thej-  are  not  a  mere  envelope  containing  a  young  aphis, 
but  eggs  in  the  ordinary  sense,  the  contents  of  which  consist  of  yelk, 
and  ill  which  the  young  aphis  is  gradually  developed 


72 


EGGS  OF  APHIDES  KEPT  THROUGH 


THE  WINTER  BY  ANTS. 


7S 


made  the  best  of  their  way  out  of  the  nest,  and,  indeed, 
were  sometimes  brought  out  by  the  ants  themselves. 
In  vain  1  tried  them  with  roots  of  grass  &c. ;  they 
wandered  uneasily  about,  and  eventually  died.  More- 
over, they  did  not  in  any  way  resemble  the  subterranean 
species.  In  1878  1  again  attempted  to  rear  these 
young  aphides ;  but  though  I  hatched  a  great  many 
eggs,  I  did  not  succeed.  In  1879,  however,  I  was  more 
fortunate.  The  eggs  commenced  to  hatch  the  first 
week  in  March.  Near  one  of  my  nests  of  Lasius 
flavus,  in  which  I  had  placed  some  of  the  eggs  in 
question,  was  a  glass  containing  living  specimens  of 
several  species  of  plant  commonly  found  on  or  around 
ants'  nests.  To  this  some  of  the  young  aphides  were 
brought  by  the  ants.  Shortly  afterwards  I  observed  on 
a  plant  of  daisy,  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  some  small 
aphides,  very  much  resembling  those  from  my  nest, 
though  we  had  not  actually  traced  them  continuously. 
They  seemed  thriving,  and  remained  stationary  on  the 
daisy.  Moreover,  whether  they  had  sprung  from  the 
black  eggs  or  not,  the  ants  evidently  valued  them,  for 
they  built  up  a  wall  of  earth  round  and  over  them. 
So  things  remained  throughout  the  summer ;  but  on 
the  9th  October  I  found  that  the  aphides  had  laid  some 
eggs  exactly  resembling  those  found  in  the  ants*  nests; 
and  on  examining  daisy-plants  from  outside,  I  found 
on  many  of  them  similar  aphides,  and  more  or  less  of 
the  same  eggs. 

I  confess  these  observations  surprised  me  very  much- 


The  statements  of  Huber,  though  confirmed  by 
Schmarda,  have  not,  indeed,  attracted  so  much  notice 
as  many  of  the  other  interesting  facts  which  they  have 
recorded  ;  because  if  aphides  are  kept  by  ants  in  their 
nests,  it  seems  only  natural  that  their  eggs  should 
also  occur.  The  above  case,  however,  is  much  more 
remarkable.  Here  are  aphides,  not  living  in  the  ants' 
nests,  but  outside,  on  the  leaf-stalks  of  plants.  The 
eggs  are  laid  early  in  October  on  the  food-plant  of 
the  insect.  They  are  of  no  direct  use  to  the  ants, 
yet  they  are  not  left  where  they  are  laid,  exposed  to  the 
severity  of  the  weather  and  to  innumerable  dangers, 
but  brought  into  their  nests  by  the  ants,  and  tended 
by  them  with  the  utmost  care  through  the  long  winter 
months  until  the  following  March,  when  the  young  ones 
are  brought  out  and  again  placed  on  the  young  shoots  of 
the  daisy.  This  seems  to  me  a  most  remarkable  case 
of  prudence.  Our  ants  may  not  perhaps  lay  up  food 
for  the  winter  ;  but  they  do  more,  for  they  keep  during 
six  months  the  eggs  which  will  enable  them  to  procure 
food  during  the  following  summer,  a  case  of  prudence 
unexampled  in  the  animal  kingdom. 

The  nests  of  our  common  yellow  ant  (Lasius  flavus) 
contain  in  abundance  four  or  five  species  of  aphis, 
more  than  one  of  which  appears  to  be  as  yet  undescribed. 
In  addition,  however,  to  the  insects  belonging  to  this 
family,  there  are  a  large  number  of  others  which  live 
habitually  in  ants'  nests,  so  that  we  may  truly  say  that 
our  English  ants  possess  a  much  greater  variety  of 
7 


■BM 


74 


OTHER  DOMESTIC  ANIMAU3 


domestic  animals  than  we  do  ourselves.  Markel  aatis- 
fied  himself  that  large  nests  of  Formica  rufa  might 
contain  at  least  a  thousand  of  such  guests  ;  *  and  I 
believe  that  the  aphides  in  a  large  nest  of  Lasius 
jiavus  would  often  be  even  more  numerous.  Andre' 
gives  a  list  of  no  less  than  584  species  of  insects, 
which  are  habitually  found  in  association  with  ants, 
and  of  which  542  are  beetles. 

The  association  of  some  of  these  insects  with  ants 
may  be  purely  accidental  and  without  significance. 
In  some  of  them  no  doubt  the  bond  of  union  is 
merely  the  selection  of  simihir  places  of  abode  ;  in 
some  few  others  the  ants  are  victimized  by  pamsites  of 
which  they  cannot  rid  themselves.  There  are,  for 
instance,  the  parasitic  mites,  and  the  small  black  fly, 
belonging  to  the  genus  Phora,  which  lays  her  eggs  on 
ants,  and  which  I  have  already  mentioned.  Then  there 
are  some  insects,  such  as  the  caterpillar  of  that  beautiful 
beetle,  the  rosechafer,  which  find  a  congenial  place  of 
residence  among  the  collection  of  bits  of  stick,  &c., 
with  which  certain  species  of  ants  make  their  nests. 

Another  class  of  ant  guests  are  those  which  reside 
actually  in  the  galleries  and  chambers  of,  and  with,  the 
ants,  but  which  the  latter  never  touch.  Of  these  the 
commonest  in  England  are  a  species  allied  to  Podura, 
for  which  I   have  proposed  the  name  Beckia  (PI.  V, 


*  Beit,   zur  KenntnUs  der   unter    Ameisen    Jehenden    Tntfkten 
Miirkel,  Ger mar's  Zeit.f.  Ent.  1841,  p.  210 
2  Rec.  ct  Mag.  dc  Zool.  1874,  p.  205. 


KEPT  BY  ANTS. 


75 


fig.  5).  It  is  an  active  bustling  little  being,  and  I 
have  kept  hundreds,  I  may  say  thousands,  in  my 
nests.  They  run  about  in  and  out  among  the  ants,  keep- 
ing their  antennae  in  a  perpetual  state  of  vibration. 
Another  very  common  species  is  a  sort  of  white  wood- 
louse  (PI.  V.  fig.  7),  which  enjoys  the  rather  long  name 
of  Platyarthrus  Hofmanseggii,  Andre  only  mentions 
Platyarthrus  as  living  with  Formica  rvfa,  Myrmica 
scabrinodis,  and  Leptothorax  acervorum,  I  have 
found  it  also  with  Lasius  nilger^  L.  jiavus^  and  F, 
fusca.  It  runs  about,  and  is  evidently  at  home, 
among  the  ants.  Both  Platyarthrus  and  Beckia, 
from  living  constantly  in  the  dark,  have  become 
blind  ;  I  say  '  have  become,'  because  their  ancestors 
no  doubt  had  eye3.  In  neither  of  these  cases  have  I 
ever  seen  an  ant  take  the  slightest  notice  of  either  of 
these  insects.  One  might  almost  imagine  they  had 
the  cap  of  invisibility. 

It  is  certain  that  the  ants  intentionally  (if  I 
may  so  say)  sanction  the  residence  of  these  insects 
in  their  nests.  An  unauthorised  interloper  would  be 
at  once  killed.  I  have,  therefore,  ventured  to  suggest 
that  these  insects  may,  perhaps,  act  as  scavengers. 

In  other  cases  the  association  is  more  close,  and  the 
ants  take  the  greatest  care  of  their  guests. 

It  appears  that  many  of  these  insects  produce  a 
secretion  which  serves  as  food  for  the  ants.  This  is 
certainly  the  case,  for  instance,  with  the  curious  blind 
beetle,  Claviger  (PI.  V  fig.  8),  (so  called  from  its  club- 


76 


MYR^IECOPHILOUS  BEETLES 


shaped  antennae),  which  is  quite  blind,^  and  appears  to 
be  absolutely  dependent  upon  the  ants,  as  iNIiiller  first 
pointed  out.  It  even  seems  to  have  k)st  the  power  of 
feeding  itself;  at  any  rate  it  is  habitually  fed  by  the  ants, 
who  supply  it  with  nourishment  as  they  do  one  another. 
Miiller  saw  the  ants  caressing  the  beetles  with  their 
antenna?.  The  Clavigcrs  have  certain  tufts  of  hairs  at  the 
base  of  the  elytra,  and  Miiller,  whose  observations  have 
since  been  confirmed  by  subsequent  entomologists,  saw 
the  ants  take  their  tufts  of  hairs  into  their  mouths  and 
lick  them,  as  well  as  the  whole  upper  surface  of  the  body, 
with  apparently  the  greatest  enjoyment.  Grimm  ^  hag 
made  a  similar  observation  with  reference  to  D'lnarda 
dentata,  another  of  these  myrmecophilous  beetles. 
He  several  times  observed  the  ants  licking  the  tuft 
of  hairs  at  the  end  of  the  abdomen.  Lespes '  has  con- 
firmed this.  On  one  occasion  he  saw  an  ant  feed  a 
Lomechusa.  Several  of  the  former  were  sucking  a 
morsel  of  sugar.  The  beetle  approached  one  of  them, 
and  tapped  her  several  times  on  the  head  with  her 
antennae.  The  ant  then  opened  her  mandibles,  and  fed 
the  Lomechusa  as  she  would  have  done  one  of  her  own 
species.  The  Lomechusa  crept  on  the  sugar,  but  did 
not  appear  able  to  feed  herself. 

As  might  naturally  be  expected  the  myrmecophilous 
insects  are  not  found  indiscriminately  in  the  nests  of 

»   Gcr mar's  Mag.  de  Zcol.  1818,  p.  69. 

«  Stettin,  Ent.  Ziit.  1845,  p.  123 

•  Ann.  Soc.  Ent.     France,  1856,  p.  51 


e  aa:  <&'  jka  . 


PETS. 


77 


ants,   but  while  some  associate  with    several  species, 
many  are  confined  to  a  few  or  even  to  one. 

V.  Hagens  is  of  opinion  ^  that  in  some  of  these 
beetles  which  frequent  the  nests  of  two  or  more  species 
of  ant,  varieties  have  been  produced.  Thus  he  ha3 
observed  that  the  specimens  of  Thiasophila  angidata 
in  nests  of  Formica  cowjerens  are  darker  than  those 
found  with  F.  exsecta,  Iletcerius  sesqicicornis  found 
with  Lasius  n'ujer  and  Tajjinoma  ein'aticuiii  are 
smaller  than  those  which  occur  in  the  nests  of  larger 
ants ;  and  the  form  of  Diuarda  deidata,  which  is  met 
with  in  nests  of  F.  saiigninea^  has  rather  wider  wing- 
cases  than  the  normal  type. 

I  would  by  no  means  intend  to  imply  that  the 
relations  between  ants  and  the  other  insects  which 
live  with  them  are  exhausted  by  the  above  suggestions. 
On  the  contrary,  various  other  reasons  maybe  imagined 
which  may  render  the  presence  of  these  insects  useful 
or  agreeable  to  the  ants.  For  instance,  they  may  emit 
an  odour  which  is  pleasant  to  the  ants.  Again,  ]Mr. 
Francis  Galton  has,  I  think,  rendered  it  very  probable 
that  some  of  our  domestic  animals  were  kept  as  pets 
before  they  were  made  of  any  use.  Unlikely  as  this 
may  appear  in  some  cases,  for  instance  in  the  pig,  we 
know  as  a  fact  that  pigs  are  often  kept  by  savages  as 
pets.  I  would  not  put  it  forward  as  a  suggestion 
which  can  be  supported  by  any  solid  reasoning,  but  it 


•  Berlin.  Ent.  Zdt  1865,  p.  108. 


78 


RELATIONS   BETWEEN  DIFFERENT 


seems   not  altogether  impossible  that    some  of  these 
tame  insects  may  be  kept  as  pets. 

It  is  from  this  point  of  view  a  very  interesting  fiict 
that,  according  to  Forel,  in  the  cases  of  Chennium  and 
Batmsus  there  is  rarely  more  than  one  beetle  in  each 
nest.* 

I  now  come  to  the  relations  existing  between  the 
different  species  of  ants. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that,  as  a  general  rule, 
each  species  lives  by  itself.  There  are,  however,  some  in- 
teresting exceptions.    The  little  Stenamma  Westwoodii 
(PI.  III.  fig.  3)  is  found  exclusively  in  the  nests  of  the 
much  larger  F.  rufa  and  the  allied  F.pratensis.  We  do 
not  know  what  the  relations  between  the  two  species  are. 
The  Stenammas,  however,  follow  the  Formicas  when 
they  change  their  nest,  running  about  among  them  and 
between  their  legs,  tapping  them    inquisitively  with 
their  antennae,  and  even  sometimes   climbing   on  to 
their  backs,  as  if  for  a  ride,  while  the  large  ants  seem 
to  take  little  notice  of  them.     They  almost  seem  to  be 
the  dogs,  or  perhaps  the  cats,  of  the  ants.  Another  small 
species,  Solenopsis  fugax  (PI.  III.  fig.  4),  which  makes 
its  chambers  and  galleries  in  the  walls  of  the  nests  of 
larger  species,  is  the  bitter  enemy  of  its  hosts.     The 
latter  cannot  get  at  them,  because  they  are  too  large 
to  enter  the  galleries.     The  little  Solenopsis^  there- 
fore, are  quite  safe,  and,  as  it  appears,  make  incursions 
into  the  nurseries  of  tne  larger  ant,  and  carry  off  the 

'  Firurmis  de  la  Suisse,  p.  426. 


SPECIES   OF  ANTS. 


79 


larvje  as  food.  It  is  as  if  we  had  small  dwarfs,  about 
eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  long,  harbouring  in  the 
walls  of  our  houses,  and  every  now  and  then  carrying 
off  some  of  our  children  into  their  horrid  dens. 

Most  ants,  indeed,  will  carry  off  the  larvae  and  pupae 
of  others  if  they  get  a  chance ;  and  this  explains,  or  at 
any  rate  throws  some  light  upon,  that  must  remarkable 
phenomenon,  the  existence  of  slavery  among  ants.  If 
you  place  a  number  of  larvae  and  pupae  in  front  of  a 
nest  of  the  Horse  ant  {F.  rvfa),  for  instance,  they  are 
soon  carried  off;  and  those  which  are  not  immediately 
required  for  food  remain  alive  for  some  time,  and  are 
even  fed  by  their  captors. 

Both  the  Horse  ant  {Formica  rufa,  PI.  II.  fig.  5) 
and  the  slave  ant  {F.  fasca,  PI.  I.  fig.  3)  are  abun- 
dant species,  and  it  must  not  unfrequently  occur 
that  the  former,  being  pressed  for  food,  attack  the 
latter  and  carry  off  some  of  their  larvae  and  pupae. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  no  doubt  occasionally 
happens  that  the  pupae  come  to  maturity  in  the  nests 
of  the  Horse  ant,  and  it  is  said  that  nests  are  some- 
times, though  rarely,  found  in  which,  with  the  legiti- 
mate owners,  there  are  a  few  F.  fuscas.  With  the 
Horse  ant  this  is,  however,  a  very  rare  and  exceptional 
phenomenon  ;  but  with  an  allied  species,  F.  sanfjiiinea 
(PI.  I.  fig.  6),  a  species  which  exists  in  some  of  our 
southern  counties  and  throughout  Europe,  it  has  be- 
come an  established  habit.  The  F,  sanguineas  make 
periodical  expeditions,  attack  neighbouring  nests,  and 


tuiitslii&i* 


80 


sla\t:-making  aiits. 


carry  off  the  pupsc.     When  the  latter  come  to  maturity 
they  find  themselves  in  a  nest  consisting  pailly  of  F, 
aanguineas,  partly  of  their  own  species,  the  results  of 
previous  expeditions.     They  adapt  themselves  to  cir- 
cumstances, assist  in  the  ordinary  household  duties, 
and,  having  no  young  of  their  own  species,  feed  and 
tend  those  of  the  F,  aancfuineas.  But  though  the  F, 
sanguinecw  are  thus  aided  by  their  slaves,  or  as  they 
should  ratlier  perhaps  be  called,  their  auxiliaries,  they 
have  not  themselves  lost  the  instinct  of  ^vorkin»^     It 
seems  not  improbable  that  there  is   some  division  of 
functions  between  the  two  species,  but  we  have  as  yet 
no  distinct  knowledge  on  this  point ;  and  at  any  rate 
the  F,  aanguineas  can  'do'  for  themselves,  and  carry 
on  a  nest,  if  necessary,  without  slaves. 

The  species  usually  enslaved  by  F,  somguinea  are 
Formica  fusca  and  F.  rufiharhis,  which  indeed  are  so 
similar  that  they  are  perhaps  varieties  rather  than 
species.  Sometimes  both  occur  in  the  same  n»^st. 
Andre  says  that  they  also  make  slaves  of  Formica 
gagates}  Schenk  asserts*  the  same  of  Lasius  allenus, 
and  F.  Smith  of  Z.  Jlavus,  but  Forel  denies  these 
statements.' 

Another  species,  Polyergus  rufescenf^,  is  much 
more  dependent  on  its  slaves,  being,  indeed,  almost 
entirely  so. 


Bi'v.  et  Mag.  de  Ziwl.  1874,  p.  164. 

*  Cat.  of  Brit.  Fos.'(.  Ilymeti.^  p.  7 

•  Faumiis  de  la  Same,  p.  3G3. 


■'SlitSilitiftiiSs^^M^fe^ 


FOKMICA— POLl-ERGUS. 


81 


For  the  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  slavery 
among  ajits  we  are  indebted  to  Huber,'  and  I  cannot 
resist  quoting  the  passage  in  which  he  records  his 
discovery:— 'On  June  17,  1804,'  he  says,  'while  walk- 
ing in  the  environs  of  Geneva,  between  four  and  five 
in  the  evening,  I  observed  close  at  my  feet,  traversing 
the  road,  a  legion  of  Rufescent  ants. 

'  They  moved  in  a  body  with  considerable  rapidity 
and  occupied  a  space  of  from  eight  to  ten  inches  in 
length,  by  three  or  four  in  breadth.  In  a  few  minutes 
they  quitted  the  road,  passed  a  thick  hedge,  and  entered 
a  pasture  ground,  where  I  followed  them.  They 
wound  along  the  grass  without  straggling,  and  their 
column  remained  uubroken,  notwithstanding  the  ob- 
stacles they  had  to  sunnount.  At  length  they  ap- 
proaclied  a  n^st,  inhabited  by  dark  ash-coloured  ants, 
the  dome  of  which  rose  above  the  grass,  at  a  distance 
of  twenty  feet  from  the  hedge.  Some  of  its  inhabitants 
were  guarding  the  entrance ;  but,  on  the  discovery  of 
an  approaching  army,  darted  forth  upon  the  advanced 
guard.  The  alarm  spread  at  the  same  moment  in  the 
interior,  and  their  companions  came  forth  in  numbers 
from  their  underground  residence.  The  Rufescent  ants, 
the  bulk  of  whose  army  lay  only  at  the  distance  of  two 
paces,  quickened  their  march  to  arrive  at  the  foot  of 
the  ant-hill ;  the  whole  battalion,  in  an  instant,  fell 
upon  and  overthrew  the  ash-coloured  ants,  who,  after 
a  short  but  obstinate  conflict,  retired  to  the  bottom  of 

■  Tli£  Saiural  History  of  Ants,  by  M.  P.  Huber,  p.  249. 


S2 


EXPEDITIONS  OF  POLYERGUS. 


their  nest.  The  Kufeseent  ants  now  ascended  the 
hillock,  collected  in  crowds  on  the  summit,  and  took 
possession  of  the  principal  avenues,  leaving  some  of 
their  companions  to  work  an  opening  in  the  side  of  tLe 
ant-hill  with  their  teeth.  Success  crowned  their  enter- 
prise, and  by  the  newly-made  breach  the  remainder  of 
the  army  entered.  Their  sojourn  war.  however,  of 
short  duration,  for  in  three  or  four  minutes  they 
returned  by  the  same  apertm-es  wliich  gave  them 
entrance,  each  bearing  off  in  its  mouth  a  larva  or  a 
pupa.' 

The  expeditions  generally  start  in  the  afternoon, 
and  are  from  100  to  2,000  strong. 

Polyergus  rufescens  present  a  striking  lesson  of 
the  degrading  tendency  of  slavery,  for  these  ants  have 
become  entirely  dependent  on  their  slaves.  Even 
their  bodily  structure  has  undergone  a  change:  the 
mandibles  have  lost  their  teeth,  and  have  become  mere 
nippers,  deadly  weapons  indeed,  but  useless  except  in 
war.  They  have  lost  the  greater  part  of  their  instincts  : 
their  art,  that  is,  the  power  of  building;  their  domestic 
habits,  for  they  show  no  care  for  their  own  young,  all 
this  being  done  by  the  slaves ;  their  industry— they 
take  no  part  in  providing  the  daily  supj)lies ;  if  the 
colony  changes  the  situation  of  its  nest,  the  masters 
are  all  carried  by  the  slaves  on  their  backs  to  the  new 
one ;  nay,  they  have  even  lost  the  habit  of  feedin«r. 
Huber  placed  thirty  of  them  with  some  larvic  and  pup;e 
and  a  supply  of  honey  in  a  box.     '  At  first,'  he  says, 


S^iirtt^«SfflbiaK'triii^diBag^4-4i*.;>iiwN-i*fcJ»W^ 


■J      r-.  -  .t 


POLYERGUS  FED  BY  THE  SLAVES. 


83 


they  appeared  to  pay  some  little  attention  to  the 
larvae ;  they  carried  them  here  and  there,  but  presently 
replaced  them.  More  than  one-half  of  the  Amazons 
died  of  hunger  in  less  than  two  days.  They  had  not 
even  traced  out  a  dwelling,  and  the  few  ants  still  in 
existence  were  languid  and  without  strength.  I  com- 
miserated their  condition,  and  gave  them  one  of  their 
black  companions.  This  individual,  unassisted,  estab- 
lished order,  formed  a  chamber  in  the  earth,  gathered 
together  the  larvae,  extricated  several  young  ants  that 
were  ready  to  quit  the  condition  of  pup«,  and  preserved 
the  life  of  the  remaining  Amazons.' 

This  observation  has  been  fully  confirmed  by  other 
naturalists.  However  small  the  prison,  however  large 
the  quantity  of  food,  these  stupid  creatures  will  starve 
in  the  midst  of  plenty  rather  than  feed  themselves. 

M.  Forel  was  kind  enough  to  send  me  a  nest  of 
Polyergus,  and  I  kept  it  under  observation  for  more 
than  four  years.  My  specimens  of  Polyergus  certainly 
never  fed  themselves,  and  when  the  community  changed 
its  nest,  which  they  did  several  times,  the  mistresses 
were  carried  from  the  one  to  the  other  by  the  slaves. 
I  was  even  able  to  observe  one  of  their  marauding  ex- 
peditions, in  which,  however,  the  slaves  took  a  part. 

I  do  not  doubt  that,  as  Huber  tells  us,  specimens  of 
Polyergus  if  kept  by  themselves  in  a  box  would  soon 
die  of  starvation,  even  if  suj)plied  with  food.  I  have, 
however,  kept  isolated  specimens  for  three  months  by 
giving  them  a  slave  for  an  hour  or  two  a  day  to  clean 


fig*a»*<ia.i.AfeV[iy--^t<iqiifc->J>^.5Mi3l>aahJg^^ 


84 


STRONGYLOGNATHUS. 


and  feed  them :  under  these  circumstances  they  re- 
mained in  perfect  health,  while,  but  for  the  slaves, 
they  would  have  perished  in  two  or  three  days.  Ex- 
cepting the  slave-making  ants,  and  some  of  the  Myr- 
mecophilous  beetles  above  described,  I  know  no  case 
in  nature  of  an  animal  having  lost  the  instinct  of 
feeding. 

In  P.  rufescens,  the  so-called  workers,  though 
thus  helpless  and  idle,  are  numerous,  energetic,  and 
in  some  respects  even  brilliant.  In  another  slave- 
making  ant,  Stroiigylognathus,  the  workers  are 
much  less  numerous,  and  so  weak  that  it  is  an  un- 
solved problem  how  they  contrive  to  make  slaves. 
In  the  genus  Strongylognathus  there  are  two  species, 
S.  huberi  and  S.  testaceus,  S.  huberi,  which  was 
discovered  by  Forel,  very  much  resembles  Polyergus 
rufescens  in  habits.  They  have  sabre-like  mandibles, 
like  those  of  Polyergus,  and  their  mode  of  fighting  is 
similar,  but  they  are  much  weaker  insects  ;  they  make 
slaves  of  Tetramorium  ccespiticm,  which  they  carry  off 
as  pupae.  In  attacking  the  Tetramot-iums  they  seize 
them  by  the  head  with  their  jaws,  just  in  the  same 
way  as  Polyergus,  but  have  not  strength  enough  to 
pierce  them  as  the  latter  do.  Nevertheless,  the  Tetra- 
moriums  seem  much  afraid  of  them. 

The  other  species,  StrongylogiiatJtiis  testaceus,  is 
even  weaker  than  S,  huberi,  and  their  mode  of  life  is 
still  in  many  respects  an  enigma*  They  also  keep  the 
workers   of  Tetramonum  in,   so  to  say,   a   state   o/ 


l»iWifiW  a  .  -  «.r   ■■>   ^      .r 


DEGRADATION   OF  STRONGYLOGNATHUS. 


85 


slavery,  but  how  they  procure  the  slaves  is  still  a 
mystery.  They  fight  in  the  same  manner  as  Polyergus ; 
but  yet  Schenk,  Von  Hagens,  and  Forel  all  agree  that 
they  are  no  match  for  the  Tetramioriums,  a  courageous 
species,  and  one  which  lives  in  large  communities.  On 
one  occasion  Forel  brought  a  nest  of  Tetramorium 
and  put  it  down  very  near  one  of  Strongylogna" 
thus  testaceus  with  Tetramomum  slaves.  A  battle  at 
once  commenced  between  the  two  communities.  The 
Strongylognathus  rushed  boldly  to  the  fight,  but, 
though  their  side  won  the  day,  this  was  mainly  due 
to  the  slaves.  The  Strongijlognathus  themselves  were 
almost  all  killed  ;  and  though  the  energy  of  their  attack 
seemed  at  first  to  disconcert  their  opponents,  Forel 
assures  us  that  they  did  not  succeed  in  killing  even  a 
single  Tetramorium,  In  fact,  as  Forel  graphically 
observes,  Strongylognathus  is  '  une  triste  caricature ' 
of  Polyergus,  and  it  seems  almost  impossible  that  by 
themselves  they  could  successfully  attack  a  nest  of 
Tetramorium,  Moreover,  in  Strongylognathus,  the 
workers  are  comparatively  few.  Nevertheless,  they  are 
always  found  with  the  Tetramoriums,  and  in  these 
mixed  nests  there  are  no  males  or  females  of  Tetra- 
morium, but  only  those  of  Strongylognathus,  Again, 
the  whole  work  of  the  nest  is  done  by  the  slaves, 
though  Strongylognathus  has  not,  like  Polyergus, 
entirely  lost  the  power  of  feeding  itself. 

But  if  the   economy  of  Strongylognathus   is   an 
enigma,  that  of  Anergates  is  still  more  mysterious. 


86 


ANERGATES. 


The  genus  Anergates  was  discovered  by  Schenk,* 
who   found   a  small  community  consisting  of  males, 
females  and  workers,  which  he  naturally  supposed  to 
belong  to  one  species.     Mayr,  however,  pointed  out  • 
that  the  workers  were  in  fact  workers  of  Tetramorium- 
ccespitum ;  and  it  would  appear  that  while  in  Strongy- 
lognathus  the  workers  are  comparatively  few,  Aner- 
gates differs  from  all  other  ants  in  having  no  workers 
at  all.     The  males  and  females  live  with  TetramoHum 
ccespifum,  and  are  in  several  respects  very  peculiar, — 
for  instance,  the  male  is  wingless.    One  might  consider 
it  rather  a  case  of  parasitism  than  of  slavery,  but  the 
difficulty  is  that  in  these  mixed  nests  there  are  no  males, 
females,  or  young  of  Tetramorium.     As  to  this  all  ob- 
servers are  agreed.     It  seems  quite  clear  that  Aner- 
gates <;annot  prociu-e  its  slaves,  if  such  they  are,  by 
marauding  expeditions  like  those  of  Polyergus ;  in  the 
first  place,  because   the  Anergates  are  too  few,  and 
secondly,  because  they  are  too  weak.     The  whole  ques- 
tion is  rendered  still  more  difficult  by  the  fact  that 
neither  Von  Hagens'  nor  Forel  ever  found  either  larvae 
or  pupae  of  Tetramorium  in  the  mixed  nests.    The  com- 
munity consisted  of  males  and  females  of  Anergates^ 
accompanied  and  tended  by  workers  of  Tetramorium 
ca'sjpitiim.     The  Anergates  are  absolutely  dependent 

*  'Die  Nassauischen  Ameiscn-Species,'  Stettin  Ent.  Zeit.  1853, 
p.  186. 

'  EtiTO]).  Fomiicif/o',  p.  50. 

•  VerA.   des  Natur.    Vercines  der  Prcuss.  lihcinlande  irnd  Wctt* 
fkalcnt  1867,  p.  63.  See  also  V.  Hageng.  Bcrl.  Ent.Zeit,  1807,  p.  102. 


HABITS  OF  ANERGATES. 


87 


iil)on  their  slaves,  and  cannot  even  feed  themcelves. 
The  whole  problem  is,  therefore,  most  puzzHng  and 
interesting.' 

As  regards  Strongylognaihus,  Von  Hagens  made  two 
suggestions,  the  first  being  that  this  insect  is  really  a 
monstrous  form  of  Tetramorium,  This,  however, 
cannot  at  any  rate  be  the  case  with  Anergates.  On 
the  whole,  then,  he  inclines  to  think  that  perhaps  the 
nests  cont^iining  Strongylognathus  or  Anergates  are 
only  parts  of  a  community,  and  that  the  young  of  the 
Tetramoriams  are  in  another  nest  of  the  same  com- 
munity. This  would  account  for  the  absence  of  the 
young  of  the  Tetramoriums,  but  would  not  remove 
all  the  difficulties.  It  is  in  other  respects  not 
consistent  with  what  we  know  of  the  habits  of  ants, 
and  on  the  whole  I  agree  with  Forel  in  thinking  the 
suggestion  untenable. 

The  difficulty  of  accounting  for  the  numbers  of 
Tetramoriums,  coupled  with  the  absence  of  young, 
was  indeed  almost  insuperable  as  long  as  the  workers 
were  supposed  to  live  only  for  one  year.  My  observa- 
tions,  however,  which  show  that  even  in  captivity  a 
nest  may  continue  for  five  years,  place  the  question  in 
a  different  position,  and  give  us,  I  think,  a  clue. 

On  the  whole,  I  would  venture  to  suggest  that  the 
male  and  female  Anergates  make  their  way  into  a  nest 

•  On  the  contrary,  in  Tomorpmthtis  .wbUet-is,  a  Finland  species 
which  lives  in  the  nests  of  Lej,tof/wrax  7nvscorum  and  L.  acnrorum, 
the  workers  only  are  known.  The  male,  like  that  of  Aneraahs  i» 
uingloa*.  ' 


"fcT  rf  >-»»ijje  -ftJt  ».j'i'.rfa.'<iftAj 


88 


EXPLANATION   OF  THE  PRESENT  STATE   OF 


of  Tetramorium,  and  in  some  manner  contrive  to  assas- 
sinate their  queen.  I  have  shown  that  a  nest  of  ants 
may  continue,  even  in  captivity,  for  five  years,  without 
a  queen.  If,  therefore,  the  female  of  Anergaies  could 
by  violence  or  poison  destroy  the  queen  of  the  Tetra- 
oiioHums,  we  should  in  the  following  year  have  a  com- 
munity composed  of  the  two  Anerrjates^  their  young, 
and  workers  of  Tetramorium^  in  the  manner  described 
by  Van  Hagens  and  Forel.  This  would  naturally  not 
have  suggested  itself  to  them,  because  if  the  life  of 
an  ant  had,  as  was  formerly  supposed,  been  confined 
to  a  single  season,  it  would  of  course  have  been  out  of 
the  question ;  but  as  we  now  know  that  the  life  of  ants 
is  so  much  more  prolonged  than  had  been  supposed,  it 
is  at  least  not  an  impossibility. 

It  is  conceivable  that  the  Tetraraorium.8  may  have 
gradually  become  harder  and  stronger;  the  marauding 
expeditions  would  then  be  less  fruitful  and  more  dan- 
gerous, and  might  become  less  and  less  frequent.  If, 
then,  we  suppose  that  the  females  found  it  possible 
to  establish  themselves  in  nests  of  Tetramorium^  the 
present  state  of  things  would  almost  inevitably  be,  by 
degrees,  established.  Thus  we  may  explain  the  re- 
markable condition  of  Stronfjylognaihiis,  armed  with 
weapons  which  it  is  too  weak  to  use,  and  endowed  with 
instincts  which  it  cannot  exercise. 

At  any  rate,  these  four  genera  offer  us  every  grada- 
tion from  lawless  violence  to  contemptible  parasitism. 
Formica  sanguinea,  which  may  be  assumed    to  Lave 


STRONGYLOGNATHUS  AND  ANERGATES. 


89 


comparatively  recently  taken  to  slave-making,  has  not  as 
yet  been  materially  affected. 

Pobjergiis,  on  the  contrary,  already  illustrates  the 
lowering  tendency  of  slavery.  They  have  lost  their 
knowledge  of  art,  their  natural  affection  for  their 
young,  and  even  their  instinct  of  feeding  !  They  are, 
however,  bold  and  powerful  marauders. 

In  Strongylognathus,  the  enervating  influence  of 
slavery  has  gone  further,  and  told  even  on  the  bodily 
strength.  They  are  no  longer  able  to  capture  their 
slaves  in  fair  and  open  warfare.  Still  they  retain  a 
semblance  of  authority,  and,  when  roused,  will  fight 
bravely,  though  in  vain. 

In  Anergates,  finally,  we  come  to  the  last  scene  of 
this  sad  history.  We  may  safely  conclude  that  in 
distant  times  their  ancestors  lived,  as  so  many  ants 
do  now,  partly  by  hunting,  partly  on  honey ;  that  by 
degrees  they  became  bold  marauders,  and  gradually  took 
to  keeping  slaves  ;  that  for  a  time  they  maintained 
their  strength  and  agility,  though  losing  by  degrees 
their  real  independence,  their  arts,  and  even  many  of 
their  instincts ;  that  gradually  even  their  bodily  force 
dwindled  away  under  the  enervating  influence  to 
which  they  had  subjected  themselves,  until  they  sank 
to  their  present  degraded  condition — weak  in  body  and 
mind,  few  in  numbers,  and  apparently  nearly  extinct, 
the  miserable  representatives  of  far  superior  ancestors, 
maintaining  a  precarious  existence  as  contemptible 
parasites  of  their  former  slaves. 


00 


PROGRESS  AMONG   ANTS. 


M.  Lespes  has  given  a  short  but  interesting 
account  of  some  experiments  made  by  him  on  the 
relations  existing  between  ants  and  their  domestic 
animals,  from  which  it  might  be  inferred  that  even 
within  the  limits  of  a  single  species  some  communities 
are  more  advanced  than  others.  He  states  that  speci- 
mens of  the  curious  blind  beetle  Claviger,  which 
always  occurs  with  ants,  when  transferred  from  a  nest 
of  Lasius  niger  to  another  which  kept  none  of  these 
domestic  beetles,  were  invariably  attacked  and  eaten. 
From  this  he  infers  that  the  intelligence  necessary  to 
keep  Clavigers  is  not  coextensive  with  the  species,  but 
belongs  only  to  certain  communities  and  races,  which, 
80  to  say,  are  more  advanced  in  civilisation  than  the 
rest  of  the  species. 

With  reference  to  the  statements  of  Lespes,  I  have 
more  than  once  transferred  specimens  of  Platyarthrus 
from  one  nest  to  another,  an<l  always  found  them 
received  amicably.  I  even  placi'd  specimens  from 
a  nest  of  Lasius  flavus  in  one  of  Formica  fasca 
with  the  same  result.  I  brought  from  the  South  of 
France  some  specimens  of  a  different  species,  as  yet 
undescribed,  and  put  them  in  a  nest  of  Formica  fu sea, 
where  they  lived  for  some  time,  and  brought  up  more 
than  one  brood  of  young.  These  creatures,  however, 
occur  in  most  ants'  nests,  while  Clavigers  are  only 
found  in  some. 

But  whether  there  are  differences  in  ad-vancement 
witliin  the  limits  of  the  same  species  or  not,  there  are 


PHASES   OF  LIFE. 


91 


certainly  considerable  differences  between  the  different 
species,  and  one  may  almost  fancy  that  we  can  trace 
stages  corresponding  to  the  principal  steps  in  the 
history  of  human  development. 

I  do  not   now   refer   to   slave-making  ants,  which 
represent  an  abnormal,  or  perhaps  only  a   temporary 
state  of  things,  for  slavery  seems  to  tend  in  ants  as  in 
men   to   the   degradation   of    those    by   whom   it   ia 
adopted,  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  slave-making 
species  will  eventually  find  themselves  unable  to  com- 
pete with  those  which  are    more  self-dependent,  and 
have   reached   a   higher   phase   of    civilisation.     But 
])utting  these  slave-making  ants  on  one  side,  we  find  in 
the  different  species  of  ants  different  conditions  of  life, 
curiously   answering  to  the  earlier  stages   of  human 
progress.     For  instance,  some  species,  such  as  Formica 
fusca,  live  principally  on  the  produce  of  the  chase ; 
for   though    they   feed   partly   on   the  honey-dew  of 
aphides,    they  have   not  domesticated   these  insects. 
These  ants  probably  retain  the  habits  once  common  to 
all  ants.     They  resemble  the  lower  races  of  men,  who 
subsist  mainly  by  hunting.     Like  them  they  frequent 
woods  and  wilds,  live  in  comparatively  small  communi- 
ties, and  the  instincts  of  collective  action  are  but  little 
developed  among  them.     They  hunt  singly,  and  their 
battles  are  single  combats,  like  those  of  the  Homeric 
heroes.     Such  species  as  Lasius  flavus   represent   a 
distinctly  higher  tyj^e  of   social  life;    they  show  more 
skill   in  architecture,   may    literally   be   said  to  have 


? 


92    HUNTING,  PASTORAL,  AND  AGRICULTURAL  ANTS. 

domesticated  certain  species  of  aphides,  and  may  be 
compared  to  the  pastoral  stage  of  human  progress — to 
the  races  which  live  on  the  produce  of  their  flocks  and 
herds.  Their  communities  are  more  numerous  ;  they 
act  much  more  in  concert ;  their  battles  are  not  mere 
single  combats,  but  they  know  how  to  act  in  combina- 
tion. I  am  disposed  to  hazard  the  conjecture  that 
they  will  gradually  exterminate  the  mere  hunting 
species,  just  as  savages  disappear  before  more  advanced 
races.  Lastly,  the  agricultural  nations  may  be  com- 
pared with  the  harvesting  ants. 

Thus  there  seem  to  be  three  principal  types,  offer- 
ing a  curious  analogy  to  the  three  great  phases — the 
hunting,  pastoral,  and  agricultural  stages — in  the 
history  of  human  development. 


CHAPTER   V. 

BEHAVIOUR   TO   RELATIONS. 

Mr.  Grote,  in  his  'Fragments  on  Ethical  Subjects,' 
regards  it  as  an  evident  necessity  that  no  society  can 
exist  without  the  sentiment  of  morality.  '  Everyone,' 
he  says,  '  who  has  either  spoken  or  ^vritten  on  the  sub- 
ject, has  agreed  in  considering  this  sentiment  as  ab- 
solutely indispensable  to  the  very  existence  of  society. 
Without  the  diffusion  of  a  certain  measure  of  this  feel- 
ing throughout  all  the  members  of  the  social  union, 
the  caprices,  the  desires,  and  the  passions  of  each 
separate  individual  would  render  the  maintenance  of 
any  established  comnmnion  impossible.  Positive 
morality,  under  some  form  or  other,  has  existed  in 
every  society  of  which  the  world  has  ever  had  ex- 
perience.' 

If  this  be  so,  the  question  naturally  arises  whether 
ants  also  are  moral  and  accountable  beings.  They  have 
their  desires,  their  passions,  even  their  caprices.  The 
young  are  absolutely  helpless.  Their  communities  are 
sometimes  so  numerous,  that  perhaps  London  and 
Pekin  are  almost  the  only  human  cities  which  can 
compare  with  them.     Moreover,  their  nests  are  no  mere 


94 


BEHAVIOUR  OF  ANTS  TO  ONE  ANOTHER. 


STATEMENTS   OF  PREVIOUS   OBSERVERS. 


95 


collections  of  iudependent  individual?,  nor  even  tem- 
porary associations  like  the  flocks  of  migratory  birds ; 
but  organised  communities  labouring  with  the  utmost 
harmony  for  the  common  good.  The  remarkable 
analogies  which,  in  so  many  ways,  they  present  to  our 
human  societies,  render  them  peculiarly  interesting  to 
us,  and  one  cannot  but  long  to  know  more  of  their 
character,  how  the  world  appears  to  them,  and  to  what 
extent  they  are  conscious  and  reasonable  beings. 

For  my  own  part  I  cannot  make  use  of  Mr.  G  rote's 
aro^ument,  because  I  have  elsewhere  attempted  to  show 
that,  even  as  regards  man,  the  case  is  not  by  any  means 
clear.  But  however  this  may  be,  various  observers 
have  recorded  in  the  case  of  ants  instances  of  attach- 
ment and  affection. 

Forel  lays  it  down  as  a  general  rule  that  if  ants  are 
slightly  injured,  or  rather  unwell,  their  companions  take 
care  of  them :  on  the  other  hand,  if  they  are  badly 
wounded  or  seriously  ill,  they  are  carried  away  from 
the  nest,  and  left  to  perish. 

Latreille,  also,  makes  the  following  statement: — 
'Le  sens  de  Todorat,'  he  says,  ^  '  se  manifestant 
d'une  maniere  aussi  sensible,  je  voulois  profiter 
de  cette  remarque  pour  en  decouvrir  le'  siege.  On  a 
soupyonne  depuis  longtemps  qu'il  residoit  dans  les 
antennes.  Je  les  arrachai  a  plusicurs  fourmis  fauves 
Guvri^res,  aupres  du  nid  desquelles  je  me  trouvois.  Je 
vis  aussitot  ces  petits  animaux  que  j'avois  ainsi  mutilea 

*  Hist.  Nat.  dct  Fourviu,  p.  41. 


tomber  dans  un  etat  d'ivresse  ou  une  espece  de  folic. 
lis  erroient  9a  et  la,  et  ne  reconnoissoient  plus  leur 
chemin.  lis  m'occupoient ;  mais  je  n'etais  pas  le  seul. 
Quelques  autres  fourmis  s'approcherent  de  ces  pauvres 
afiligees,  porterent  leur  langue  sur  leurs  blessures,  et  y 
laisserent  tomber  une  goutte  de  liqueur.  Get  acte  de 
sensibilite  se  renouvela  plusieurs  fois ;  je  Tobservois 
avec  une  loupe.  Animaux  compatissans !  quelle  lejon 
ne  donnez-vous  pas  aux  hommes.' 

'  Jamais,'  says  ]\I.  de  Saint  Fargeau,^  '  une  Fourmi 
qVu  rencontre  une  de  son  espece  blessee,  sans  Fenlever 
et  la  transporter  a  la  fom'miliere.  L'y  soigne-telle  ? 
Je  ne  sais,  mais  je  vois  dans  ce  fait  une  bienveillance 
que  je  ne  retrouve  dans  aucun  autre  insecte,  meme 
social.' 

I  have  not  felt  disposed  to  repeat  M.  Latreille's 
experiment,  and  j\I.  de  St.  Fargeau's  statement  is  I 
think  by  no  means  correct ;  indeed,  many  of  my  experi- 
ences seem  to  show  not  only  a  difference  of  charactei 
in  the  different  species  of  ants,  but  that  even  within 
the  limits  of  the  same  species  there  are  individual 
differences  between  ants,  just  as  between  men. 

I  will  conunence  with  the  less  favourable  aspect. 

On  one  occasion  (August  13)  a  worker  of  Lasins 
nif/ery  belonging  to  one  of  my  nests,  had  got  severely 
wounded,  but  not  so  much  so  that  she  could  not  feed ; 
for  though  she  had  lost  five  of  her  tarsi,  finding  herself 
iiear  some  syrup,  she  crept  to  it  and  began  to  feed.  I 
*  But.  jVat.  ties  Ins.  IlymcnojJteres,  vol.  i.  p.  99. 


asm 


96 


EXPERIMENTS. 


laid  her  gently  on  her  back  close  to  the  entrance  into 
the  nest.  Soon  an  ant  came  up  to  the  poor  sufferer, 
crossed  antennae  with  her  for  a  moment,  then  went 
quietly  on  to  the  syrup  and  began  to  feed.  Afterwards 
three  other  ants  did  the  same  ;  but  none  took  any  more 
notice  of  her. 

August  15. — I  found  at  1  p.m.  a  Myrmica  rurjinodis 
which,  probably  in  a  fight  with  another  ant,  had 
lost  the  terminal  portion  of  both  her  antennae.  She 
seemed  to  have  lost  her  wits.  I  put  her  into  her 
nest;  but  the  others  took  no  notice  of  her;  and  after 
wandering  about  a  little,  she  retired  into  a  solitary  place, 
where  she  remained  from  3  P.M.  to  8  without  moving. 
The  following  morning  I  looked  for  her  at  5.30,  and 
found  her  still  at  the  same  spot.  She  remained  there 
till  9,  when  she  came  out.  She  remained  out  all  day ; 
and  the  following  morning  I  found  her  dead. 

Indeed,  I  have  often  been  surprised  that  in  certain 
cases  ants  render  one  another  so  little  assistance.  The 
tenacity  with  which  they  retain  their  hold  on  an 
enemy  they  have  once  seized  is  well  known.  JNI. 
^locquerys  even  assures  us  that  the  Indians  of  Brazil 
made  use  of  this  quality  in  the  case  of  wounds  ;  causing 
an  ant  to  bite  the  two  lips  of  the  cut  and  thus  brine 
them  together,  after  which  they  snip  off  the  ant's  head, 
which  thus  holds  the  lips  together.     He  asserts  that  he 

has  often  seen  natives  with  wounds  in  course  of  heaHnt' 

ft 

with  the  assistance  of  seven  or   eight   ants'  heads  I ' 
'  Ann.  Soc.  Ent.  France,  2  scr.  torn.  ii.  p.  67. 


ISOLATED  COMBATS. 


97 


Now  I  have  often  observed  that  some  of  my  ants  had 
the  heads  of  others  hanging  on  to  their  legs  for  a  con- 
siderable time ;  and  as  this  must  certainly  be  very 
inconvenient,  it  seems  remarkable  that  their  friends 
should  not  relieve  them  of  such  an  awkward  encum- 
brance. 

The  behaviour  of  ants  to  one  another  differs  also 
much  according  to  circumstances;  whether,  for  instance, 
they  are  alone,  or  supported  by  friends.  An  ant  which 
would  run  away  in  the  first  case  will  defend  herself 
bravely  in  the  second. 

If  an  ant  is  fighting  with  one  of  another  species, 
her  friends  rarely  come  to  her  assistance.  They  seem 
generally  (dnless  a  regular  battle  is  taking  place)  to 
take  no  interest  in  the  matter,  and  do  not  even  stop  to 
look  on.  Some  species,^  indeed,  in  such  cases  never 
appear  to  help  one  another  ;  and  even  when  the  reverse 
is  the  case,  as  for  instance  in  the  genus  Lasius,  the 
truth  seems  to  be  that  several  of  them  attack  the  same 
enemy — their  object  being  to  destroy  the  foe,  rather 
than  to  save  their  friend. 

On  one  occasion  several  specimens  of  Formica  fusca 
belonging  to  one  of  my  nests  were  feeding  on  some 
honey  spread  on  a  slip  of  glass  (May  22).  One  of 
them  had  got  thoroughly  entangled  in  it.  I  took  her 
and  put  her  down  just  in  front  of  another  specimen 
belonging  to  the  same  nest,  and  close  by  I  placed  a  drop 
of  honey.  The  ant  devoted  herself  to  the  honey  and 
entirely  neglected  her  friend,  whom  she  left  to  perish. 


98        NEGLECT  OF  COME'ANIONS  IF  IN  TROUBLE. 

Again,  some  specimens  of  Cremastog aster  scutellaris 
were  feeding  quietly  (May  22)  on  some  honey  spread  on 
a  slip  of  glass,  and  one  of  them  had  got  thoroughly 
mixed  in  it.  I  took  her  out  and  put  her  on  the  glass 
close  by  She  could  not  disentangle  herself;  not  one  of 
her  friends  took  the  least  notice  of  her,  and  eventually 
she  died.  I  then  chloroformed  one,  and  put  her  on  the 
board  among  her  friends.  Several  touched  her,  but 
from  12  to  2.30  p.m.  none  took  any  particular  notice 
of  her. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  have  only  on  one  occasion  seen 
a  living  ant  expelled  from  her  nest.  This  happened  in  a 
community  of  F,  fusca,  I  observed  (April  23,  1880) 
an  ant  carrying  another  belonging  to  the  same  commu- 
nity away  from  the  nest.  The  condemned  ant  made  a 
very  feeble  resistance.  The  first  ant  carried  her  burthen 
hither  and  thither  for  some  time,  evidently  trying  to 
get  away  from  the  nest,  which  was  enclosed  in  the  usual 
manner  by  a  fur  barrier.  After  watching  for  some  time 
I  provided  the  ant  with  a  paper  bridge,  up  which  she 
immediately  went,  dropped  her  victim  on  the  far  side, 
and  returned  home.  Could  this  have  been  a  case  in 
which  an  aged  or  invalid  ant  was  being  expelled  from 
the  nest  ? 

I  have  often  had  ants  in  my  nests  to  which  mites 
had  attached  themselves. 

Thus,  on  October  14,  1876,  I  observed  that  one 
of  my  ants  (Formica  fasca)  had  a  mite  attached 
to  the  underside  of  her  head,  which  it  almost  equalled 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH   INSENSIBLE  ANTS. 


99 


in  size.  The  poor  ant  could  not  remove  it  herself,  and, 
being  a  queen,  never  left  the  nest,  so  that  I  had  no 
opportunity  of  doing  so.  For  more  than  three  months 
none  of  her  companions  performed  this  kind  office  for 
her. 

With  reference  to  this  part  of  the  subject,  also,  I 
have  made  some  experiments. 

January  3,  1876. — I  immersed  an  ant  {Lasius 
niger)  in  water  for  half  an  hour ;  and  when  she  was 
then  to  all  appearance  drowned,  I  put  her  on  a  strip  of 
paper  leading  from  one  of  my  nests  to  some  food.  The 
strip  was  half  an  inch  wide ;  and  one  of  my  marked 
ants  belonging  to  the  same  nest  was  passing  continually 
to  and  fro  over  it  to  some  food.  The  immersed  ant  lay 
there  an  hour  before  she  recovered  herself ;  and  during 
this  time  the  marked  ant  passed  by  eighteen  times 
without  taking  the  slightest  notice  of  her. 

I  then  immersed  another  ant  in  the  water  for  an 
hour,  after  which  I  placed  her  on  the  strip  of  paper  as  in 
the  preceding  case.  She  was  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
before  she  recovered :  during  this  time  two  marked 
ants  were  passing  to  and  fro  ;  one  of  them  went  by 
eighteen  times,  and  the  other  twenty  times ;  and  two 
other  ants  also  went  over  the  paper ;  but  none  of  them 
took  the  slightest  notice  of  their  drowned  friend. 

I  then  immersed  another  ant  for  an  hour,  and 
[>ut  her  on  the  strip  of  paper.  She  took  an  hour  to 
recover.  The  same  two  marked  ants  as  in  the  previous 
observation  were  at  work.     One  passed  thirty  times,  the 


IOC 


EXPEEIMENTS  WITH  DROWNED  ANTS. 


other   twenty-eight  times,   besides  which   five   others 
passed  by ;  but  not  one  took  the  sh'ghtest  notice. 

I  immersed  three  ants  for  eight  hours,  and  then 
put  them  on  the  strip  of  paper.  They  began  to  recover 
in  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  but  were  not  quite  them- 
selves till  half  an  hour  afterwards.  During  the>  first 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  two  marked  ants  passed,  earh 
four  times  ;  and  two  others  also  went  by.  During  the 
following  half-hour  the  two  marked  ants  passed  sixteen 
times,  and  three  others ;  but  none  of  them  took  any 
notice. 

I  immersed  another  ant  for  forty  minutes,  and  put 
her  on  the  strip  of  paper.  She  recovered  in  twenty 
minutes,  during  which  time  the  marked  ones,  which 
were  the  same  as  in  the  preceding  case,  went  by  four- 
teen times  without  taking  any  notice. 

I  immersed  two  ants  for  ten  hours,  and  then  placed 
them  on  the  strip  of  paper.  The  same  two  marked  ants 
passed  respectively  eighteen  and  twenty-six  times,  and 
one  other  passed  by  also  without  taking  any  notice. 
After  this  I  left  off  watching. 

I  immersed  two  ants  for  four  hours,  and  then  put 
them  on  the  strip  of  paper.  They  began  to  recover 
in  an  hour,  during  which  two  marked  ants,  not  the 
same  as  in  the  preceding  case,  passed  respectively 
twenty-eight  and  ten  times,  and  two  others  went  by ; 
but  none  of  them  took  any  notice 

1  immersed  an  ant  for  an  hour,  and  then  put  her  on 
the  same  strip  of  paper  as  in  the  previous  cases.  A  marked 


■j.*tA 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH   DROWNED  ANTS. 


101 


ant  passed  her  twelve  times  ;  three  others  also  went  by 
but  took  no  notice  of  her ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  a 
fourth  picked  her  up  and  carried  her  off  into  the  nest. 
Again,  I  immersed  an  ant  for  an  hour,  and  put  her 
on  the  strip  of  paper.  The  marked  ant  passed  twice, 
after  which  she  did  not  return.  Soon  after,  another  ant 
came  by  and,  picking  up  the  immersed  one,  carried 
her  off  to  the  nest. 

I  do  not  bring  forward  these  cases  as  proof  or  even  as 
evidence  that  ants  are  less  tender  to  friends  in  distress 
than  previous  observers  have  stated  to  be  the  case ;  but 
they  certainly  show  that  tenderness  is  not  invariably 
the  rule  ;  and,  especially  when  taken  in  connexion  with 
the  following  cases,  they  are  interesting  illustrations 
of  the  individual  differences  existing  between  ants — that 
there  are  Priests  and  Levites,  and  good  Samaritans 
among  them,  as  among  men. 

As  evidence  both  of  their  intelligence  and  of  their 
affection  for  their  friends,  it  has  been  said  by  various 
observers  tliat  when  ants  have  been  accidentally  buried 
they  have  been  very  soon  dug  out  and  rescued  by  their 
companions.  Without  for  one  moment  doubting  the 
iacts  as  stated,  we  must  remember  the  habit  which  ants 
have  of  burrowing  in  lo(^se  fre^h  soil,  and  especially  their 
practice  of  digging  out  fresh  galleries  when  their  nests 
are  disturbed. 

It  seemed  to  me,  however,  that  it  would  not  be 
difficult  to  test  whether  the  excavations  made  by  ants 
under  the  circumstances  were  the  result  of  this  general 


102 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  BURIED  ANTS. 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH   BURIED  ANTS. 


103 


habit,    or  really  due    to    a    desire  to   extricate    their 
friends. 

With  this  view  I  tried  the  following  experiments : — 

(1)  On  August  20  I  placed  some  honey  near  a  nest 
of  Lasius  niger  on  a  glass  surrounded  with  water,  and 
so  arranged  that  in  reaching  it  the  ants  passed  over 
another  glass  covered  with  a  layer  of  sifted  earth,  about 
one-third  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  I  then  put  some 
ants  to  the  honey,  and  by  degrees  a  considerable  num- 
ber collected  round  it.  Then  at  1.30  p.m.  I  buried  an 
ant  from  the  same  nest  under  the  earth,  and  left  her 
there  till  5  p.m.,  when  I  uncovered  her.  She  was  none 
the  worse,  but  during  the  whole  time  not  one  of  her 
friends  had  taken  the  least  notice  of  her. 

(2)  I  arranged  (September  1)  some  honey  again  in 
the  same  way.  At  5  p.m.  about  fifty  ants  were  at  the 
honey,  and  a  considerable  number  passing  to  and  fro. 
I  then  buried  an  ant  as  before,  taking  of  course  one 
from  the  same  nest.  At  7  p.m.  the  number  of  ants  at 
the  honey  had  nearly  doubled.  At  10  p.m.  they  were 
still  more  numerous,  and  had  carried  off  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  honey.  At  7  a.m.  the  next  morning  the 
honey  was  all  gone,  two  or  three  were  still  wanderino- 
about,  but  no  notice  had  been  taken  of  the  prisoner, 
whom  I  then  let  out.  In  this  case  I  allowed  the  honey 
to  be  finished,  because  I  thought  it  might  perhaps  be 
alleged  that  the  excitement  produced  by  such  a  treasure 
distracted  their  attention,  or  even  (on  the  principle  of 
doing  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number)  that 


they  were  intelligently  wise  in  securing  a  treasure  of 
food  before  they  rescued  their  comrade,  who,  though 
in  confinement,  was  neither  in  pain  nor  danger.  So  far 
as  the  above  ants,  however,  are  concerned,  this  cannot, 
I  think,  be  urged. 

(3)  On  the  8th  September  I  repeated  the  experi- 
ment, burying  some  ants  at  4  p.m.  Up  to  6.3  no  attempt 
had  been  made  to  release  them.  I  let  them  out  and 
buried  some  more.  The  next  morning,  at  7  a.m.,  the 
honey  was  all  gone,  some  ants  were  still  wandering  about, 
but  no  notice  had  been  taken  of  the  captives,  whom  I 
then  liberated. 

(4)  I  then  (August  21)  made  exactly  the  same 
experiment  with  Myrmica  ruginodisy  as  representing 
the  other  great  family  of  ants. 

In  order  to  test  the  affection  of  ants  belonging  to 
the  same  nest  for  one  another  I  tried  the  following 
experiments.  I  took  six  ants  from  a  nest  of  F, 
fusca,  imprisoned  them  in  a  small  bottle,  one  end  of 
which  was  covered  with  a  layer  of  muslin.  I  then  put 
the  muslin  close  to  the  door  of  the  nest.  The  muslin 
was  of  open  texture,  the  meshes,  however,  being 
sufficiently  small  to  prevent  the  ants  from  escaping. 
They  could  not  only,  however,  see  one  another,  but 
communicate  freely  with  their  antennae.  We  now 
watched  to  see  whether  the  prisoners  would  be  tended 
or  fed  by  their  friends.  We  could  not,  however, 
observe  that  the  least  notice  was  taken  of  them.  The 
experiment,    nevertheless,    was   less    conclusive    than 


fiil! 


riaSHtf^  -Tim  artf  Ja&j:j*^a.tAfaaAr.f   t\t  'orijjih^ut^^  ^^^^  '*.  ■ 


-    'ji    ijii'     Z-t    '<^iJl* 


104 


CONTRAST  OF  BEHAVIOUR 


TO  FRIENDS  AND  STRANGERS. 


105 


could  be  wished,  because  they  might  have  been  fed  at 
night,  or  at  some  time  when  we  were  not  looking.  It 
struck  me,  therefore,  that  it  would  be  interesting  to 
treat  some  strangers  also  in  the  same  manner. 

On  September  2,  therefore,  I  put  two  ants  from  one 
of  my  nests  of  F,  fusca  into  a  bottle,  the  end  of  which 
was  tied  up  with  muslin  as  described,  and  laid  it  down 
close  to  the  nest.  In  a  second  bottle  I  put  two  ants 
from  another  nest  of  the  same  species.  The  ants 
which  were  at  liberty  took  no  notice  of  the  bottle  con- 
taining their  imprisoned  friends.  The  strangers  in  the 
other  bottle,  on  the  contrary,  excited  them  considerably. 
The  whole  day  one,  two,  or  more  ants  stood  sentry,  as 
it  were,  over  the  bottle.  In  the  evening  no  less  than 
twelve  were  collected  round  it,  a  larger  number  than 
usually  came  out  of  the  nest  at  any  one  time.  The 
whole  of  the  next  two  days,  in  the  same  way,  there 
were  more  or  less  ants  round  the  bottle  containing  the 
strangers  ;  while,  as  far  as  we  could  see,  no  notice 
whatever  was  taken  of  the  friends.  On  the  9th  the 
ants  had  eaten  through  the  muslin,  and  effected  an 
entrance.  We  did  not  chance  to  be  on  the  spot  at  the 
moment ;  but  as  I  found  two  ants  lying  dead,  one  in 
the  bottle  and  one  just  outside,  I  think  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  strangers  were  put  to  death.  The 
friends  throughout  were  quite  neglected. 

September  21.— I  then  repeated  the  experiment, 
putting  three  ants  from  another  nest  in  a  bottle  as 
before.     The  same  scene  was  repeated.     The  irienda 


were  neglected.  On  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  ants 
were  always  watching  over  the  bottle  containing  the 
strangers,  and  biting  at  the  muslin  which  protected 
them.  The  next  morning  at  (5  a.m.  I  found  five  ants 
thus  occupied.  One  had  caught  hold  of  the  leg  of  one 
of  the  strangers,  whicli  had  unwarily  been  allowed  to 
protrude  through  the  meshes  of  the  muslin.  They 
worked  and  watched,  though  not,  as  far  as  I  could  see, 
with  any  system,  till  7.30  in  the  evening,  when  they 
effected  an  entrance,  and  immediately  attacked  the 
strangers. 

September  24.  — I  repeated  the  same  experiment 
with  the  same  nest.  Again  the  ants  came  and  sat  over 
the  bottle  containing  the  strangers,  while  no  notice  was 
taken  of  the  friends. 

The  next  morning  again,  when  I  got  up,  I  found 
five  ants  round  the  bottle  containing  the  strangers, 
none  near  the  friends.  As  in  the  former  case,  one  of 
the  ants  had  seized  a  stranger  by  the  leg,  and  was  trying 
to  drag  her  through  the  muslin.  All  day  the  ants 
clustered  round  the  bottle,  and  bit  perseveringly, 
though  not  systematically,  at  the  muslin.  The  same 
thing  happened  all  the  following  day. 

These  observations  seemed  to  me  sufficiently  to  test 
the  behaviour  of  the  ants  belonging  to  this  nest  under 
these  circumstances.  I  thought  it  desirable,  however, 
to  try  also  other  communities.  I  selected,  therefore, 
two  other  nests.  One  was  a  community  of  Polyergus 
rufescens  with  numerous  slaves.  Close  to  where  the 
9 


•^llAft  ajil 


106 


INSTANCES   OF  KINDNESS  TO   FRIENDS. 


ants  of  this  nest  came  to  feed,  I  placed  as  before  two 
small  bottles,  closed  in  the  same  way — one  containing 
two  slave  ants  from  the  nest,  the  ocner  two  strangers. 
These  ants,  however,  behaved  quite  unlike  the  pre- 
ceding, for  they  took  no  notice  of  either  bottle,  and 
showed  no  sign  either  of  affection  or  hatred.  One  is 
almost  tempted  to  surmise  that  the  warlike  spirit  of 
these  ants  was  broken  by  slavery. 

The  other  nest  which  I  tried,  also  a  community  of 
Formica  fusca,  behaved  exactly  like  the  first.  They 
took  no  notice  of  the  bottle  containing  the  friends,  but 
clustered  round  and  eventually  forced  their  way  into 
that  containing  the  strangers. 

It  seems,  therefore,  that  in  these  curious  insects 
hatred  is  a  stronger  passion  than  aftection. 

Some  of  those  who  have  done  me  the  honour 
of  noticing  my  papers  have  assumed  that  I  disputed 
altogether  the  kindly  feelings  which  have  been  attri- 
buted to  ants.  I  should,  however,  be  very  sorry  to 
treat  my  favourities  so  unfj\irly.  So  far  as  I  can  observe, 
ants  of  the  same  nest  never  quarrel.  I  have  never 
seen  the  slightest  evidence  of  ill-temper  in  any  of  my 
nests  :  all  is  harmony.  Nor  are  instances  of  active 
assistance  at  all  rare.  Indeed,  I  have  myself  witnessed 
various  cases  showing  care  and  tenderness  on  their  part. 

In  one  of  my  nests  of  Formica  fusca  was  an  ant 
which  had  come  into  the  world  without  antenna?. 
Never  having  previously  met  with  such  a  case,  I 
watched   her  with  great  interest ;  but  she  never  ap- 


A   CRIPPLED   ANT. 


lor 


peared  to  leave  the  nest.  At  length  one  day  I  found 
her  wandering  about  in  an  aimless  sort  of  manner,  and 
apparently  not  knowing  her  way  at  all.  After  a  while 
she  fell  in  with  some  specimens  of  Logins  flavus^  who 
directly  attacked  her.  I  at  once  set  myself  to  separate 
them;  but  whether  owing  to  the  wounds  she  had 
received  from  her  enemies,  or  to  my  rough,  though  well- 
meant  handling,  or  to  both,  she  was  evidently  much 
wounded,  and  lay  helplessly  on  the  ground.  After  some 
time  another  Formica  fusca  from  her  nest  came  by. 
She  examined  the  poor  sufferer  carefully,  then  picked 
her  up  carefully  and  carried  her  away  into  the  nest. 
It  would  have  been  difficult  for  any  one  who  witnessed 
this  scene  to  have  denied  to  this  ant  the  possession  of 
humane  feelings. 

Again,  in  one  of  my  nests  of  Formica  fusca  on 
January  23  last  (1881),  I  perceived  a  poor  ant  lying  on 
her  back  and  quite  unable  to  move.  The  legs  were  in 
cramped  attitudes,  and  the  two  antennae  rolled  up  in 
spirals.  She  was,  of  course,  altogether  unable  to  feed 
herself.  After  this  I  kept  my  eye  on  her.  Several 
times  I  tried  uncovering  the  part  of  the  nest  where  she 
was.  The  other  ants  soon  carried  her  into  the  shaded 
part.  On  March  4  the  ants  were  all  out  of  the  nest, 
probably  for  fresh  air,  and  had  collected  together  in  a 
comer  of  the  box ;  they  had  not,  however,  forgotten 
her,  but  had  carried  her  with  them.  I  took  off  the 
glass  lid  of  the  box,  and  after  a  while  they  returned  as 
usual  to  the  nest,  taking  her  in  again.     Or  March  5 


108 


A   DEAD   QUEEN. 


she  was  still  alive,  but  on  the  ]  5th,  notwithstanding  all 
their  care,  she  was  dead  ! 

At  the  present  time  I  have  two  other  ants  perfectly 
crippled  in  a  similar  manner,  and  quite  unable  to  move, 
which  have  lived  in  two  different  nests,  belonging  also 
to  F,fusca,  the  one  for  five  the  other  for  four  months. 

In  May  1879  I  gave  a  lecture  on  Ants  at  the  Royal 
Institution,  and  was  anxious  to  exhibit  a  nest  of 
Lasius  flavua  with  the  queen.  While  preparing  the 
nest,  on  May  9,  we  accidentally  crushed  the  queen. 
The  ants,  however,  did  not  desert  her,  or  drag  her 
out  as  they  do  dead  workers,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
carried  her  with  them  into  the  new  nest,  and  subse- 
quently into  a  larger  one  with  which  I  supplied  them, 
congregating  round  her,  just  as  if  she  had  been  alive, 
for  morelhan  six  weeks,  when  we  lost  sight  of  her. 

In  order  to  ascertain  whether  ants  knew  their 
fellows  by  any  sign  or  pass  word,  as  has  been  suggested 
in  the  case  of  bees,  I  was  anxious  to  see  if  they  could  re- 
cognise them  when  in  a  state  of  insensibility.  I  tried 
therefore  the  following  experiments  with  some  specimens 
of  Lasius  fiav us. 

September  10,  at  6  p.m.,  a  number  of  these  ants  were 
out  feeding  on  some  honey,  placed  on  one  of  my  tables, 
and  surrounded  by  a  moat  of  water.  I  chloroformed 
four  of  them  and  also  four  from  a  nest  in  my  park,  at  some 
distance  from  the  place  where  the  first  had  been  orioi- 
oally  procured,  painted  them,  and  put  them  close  to  the 
honey.     Up  to  8.20  the  ants  had  taken  no  notice  of 


BEHAVIOUR  TO   CHLOROFORMED   FRIENDS.       109 


their  insensible  fellow  creatures.  At  9.20  I  found  that 
four  friends  were  still  lying  as  before,  while  the  four 
strangers  had  been  removed.  Two  of  them  I  found 
had  been  thrown  over  the  edge  of  the  board  on  which 
the  honey  was  placed.     The  other  two  I  could  not  see. 

Again,  on  September  14,  at  8.40,  I  put  in  the 
same  way  four  friends  marked  white,  and  four 
strangers  marked  red,  close  to  where  my  L.  jlavus  were 
out  feeding  on  honey  placed  on  a  slip  of  glass  over 
water.  For  some  hours  they  took  no  notice  of  them. 
At  length  one  took  a  friend,  and  after  carrying  her 
about  some  time  dropped  her,  at  12.40,  into  the  water. 
Some  time  after  another  took  up  a  stranger  and  carried 
her  into  the  nest  at  2.35.  A  second  stranger  was 
similarly  carried  into  the  nest  at  2.55,  a  third  at  3.45, 
while  the  fourth  was  thrown  over  the  edge  of  the  board 
at  4.20.  Shortly  after  this  two  of  the  strangers  weie 
brought  out  of  the  nest  again  and  thrown  into  the 
water.  A  second  friend  was  thrown  away,  like  the 
first,  at  4.58,  the  third  at  5.17,  and  the  fourth  at  5.4G. 
I  could  not  ascertain  what  happened  to  the  last  stranger, 
but  have  little  doubt  that  she  was  brought  out  of  the 
nest  and  thrown  awa}^  like  the  rest. 

On  the  following  day  at  6.45  I  tried  the  same  ex- 
periment again,  only  reversing  the  colors  by  which  they 
were  distinguished.  At  7  one  of  the  strangers  was  carried 
off  and  dropped  over  the  edge  of  the  glass  into  the  water, 
and  at  8  a  second.  At  8.45  a  friend  was  taken  up  and, 
after  being  carried  about  some  time,  was  thrown  into 


110       BEHAVIOUR  TO  CHLOROFORMED   FRIENDS. 

the  moat.  At  9.45  a  friend  was  picked  up  and 
carried  into  the  nest,  but  brought  out  again  and 
thrown  awaj  about  3  in  the  afternoon.  The  other 
four  remained  where  they  were  placed  until  8  P.M.,  and 
though  the  other  ants  often  came  up  and  examineil 
them,  they  did  not  carry  them  off. 

September  29. — Again  placed  nine  chloroformed 
ants,  five  friends  and  four  strangers,  close  to  where  a 
number  were  feeding.  There  was  a  continual  stream 
of  ants  to  the  honey,  ten  or  fifteen  being  generally 
there  at  once. 

Astra„gerwaspickedupatl0.20{-V':T!:^';r,;:  10.32 


A  friend 
A  stranger 


» 


15 


55 


55 


» 


55 


55 


55 


55 


10.22 
11.22 
11.35 
11.41 


5» 


n 


j> 


10.35 
11.42 
11.50 
11.45 


Shortly  after  the  others  were  picked  up  and  carried 
away  to  the  edge  of  the  board,  where  they  were  dropped, 
but  none  were  taken  into  the  nest. 

October  2. — Again  at  10  a.m.  placed  ten  chloro- 
fonned  ants,  five  friends  and  five  strangers,  close  to 
where  some  were  feeding.  They  were  picked  up  and 
carried  off  as  before  in  the  following  order : — 
At  1 1.  5  a  stranger  was  picked  up  and  dropped  at  1 1 .15 
11.12  a  friend  „  „  11.50 

11.25  a  stranger  „  „  ]i.3fi 

12.  7         ..  ..  .  12.45 


55 


12.10  a  friend 


5> 


5* 


99 


99 


12.16 


BEHAVIOUR  TO  CHLOROFORMED   FRIENDS.      Ill 


At  1.10  a  stranger  was  picked  up  and  dropped  at  2.  6 

1.42  a  friend  „  9,  1.46 

1 .0  J  ,,  99  99  1.00 

2.6  „  „  „  3.10 

Only  one  of  them,  and  that  one  a  stranger,  was 

carried  into  the  nest  at  12.45,  but  brought  out  again 

at  1.10. 

October  6. — At  9  a.m.  again  tried  the  same  experi- 
ment with  four  strangers  and  five  friends. 

At  9.25  a  friend  was  picked  up  and  dropped  at  9.31 

9.35  a  stranger         „  „  9.45 

9.45  a  friend  „  „  9.52 

10.  8  a  stranger         „  „  10.17 

10.17  a  friend  „  „  10.20 

10.22  a  stranger         „  „  10.25 

10.28         „  „  „  10.40 

10.25  a  friend  „  „  10.31 

None  of  them  were  carried  into  the  nest. 

These  experiments  seem  to  prove  that  under  such 

circumstances  ants,  at  least  those  belonging  to  this 

species,   do   not   carry   off  their  friends   (when   thus 

rendered  insensible)  into  a  place  of  safety. 

I  think,  however,  that  in  this  experiment  the 
ants  being  to  all  intents  and  purposes  dead,  we  could 
not  expect  that  any  difference  would  be  made  between 
friends  and  strangers.  I  therefore  repeated  the  same 
experiment,  only,  instead  of  chloroforming  the  ants, 
I  intoxicated  them.     This  experiment  is  more  difficult, 


112        BEHAVIOUR  TO  INTOXICATED  FRIENDS. 


as  it  is  not  in  all  cases  easy  to  hit  off  the  requisite 
degree  of  intoxication.  The  numbers  therefore  of 
friends  and  strangers  are  not  quite  the  same,  because 
in  some  cases  the  ants  recovered  too  quickly  and  had 
to  be  removed.  In  such  cases  I  have  latterly  replaced 
the  ant  so  removed  by  another,  so  as  to  keep  the 
number  of  friends  and  strangers  about  equal.  The 
sober  ants  seemed  somewhat  puzzled  at  finding  their 
intoxicated  fellow  creatures  in  such  a  disgraceful  con- 
tion,  took  them  up,  and  carried  them  about  for  a  time 
in  a  somewhat  aimless  manner. 

November  20. — I  experimented  with   six    friends 
and  six  strangers,  beginning  at  11. 

At  1 1 .30  a  friend  was  carried  to  the  nest. 

1 1 .50  a  stranger  was  dropped  into  the  water. 
12.30 

12.31  a  friend 
1.10  a  stranger 
1.18 
1.27 
1.30  a  friend  (partly  recovered)  was  taken  to 

the  nest. 
2.30  a  friend  was  taken  up  and  carried  about 
till  2,55\  she  was  then  taken  to  the  nest,  but  at  the 
door  the  bearer  met  two  other  ants,  which  seized  the 
intoxicated  one,  carried  her  off,  and  eventually 
dropped  her  into  the  water. 

At  3.35  a  friend  was  carried  to  the  nest. 

Out  of  these  twelve,  five  strangers  and  two  friends 


?> 


55 


99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


99 
99 
99 
99 

99 


BEHAVIOUR  TO   INTOXICATED  FRIENDS. 


113 


99 


99 


<> 


55 


55 


55 


99 


99 


99 


were  dropped  into  the  water ;  none  of  the  strangers, 
but  three  friends  were  taken  to  the  nest.  None  of 
the  friends  were  brought  out  of  the  nest  again. 

November  22. — Experimented  in  the  same  way  on 
four  friends  and  four  strangers,  beginning  at  12  o'clock. 
At  12.16  a  stranger  was  taken  and  dropped  into 
the  water. 
12.21 
12.23 
12.40 

I  then  put  four  more  strangers  treated  as  before. 
At  3.10  a  stranger  was  taken  and  dropped  into  the 
water. 
3.30 
3.35 
3.44  a  friend  (partly  recovered)  was  taken  back 

to  the  nest. 
4.10  a  stranger  was  taken  and  dropped  into  the 

water. 
4.13  a  friend  (partly  recovered)  was  taken  back 
to  the  nest. 
In  this  case  eight  strangers  were  dropped  into  the 
water,  and  none  were  taken  to  the  nest ;  two  friends,  on 
the  contrary,  were  taken  to  the  nest,  and  none  were 
dropped  into  the  water. 

December  \. — Experimented  with  five  friends  and 
five  strangers,  beginning  at  2.15. 

At  2.30  a  stranger  was  dropped  into  the  water. 
3.  2 


99 


55 


99 


55 


55 


55 


99 


99 


» 


httak^fffj^Nl  f*r     'TJ 


9> 


5.24 


»5 


114        BEHAVIOUR  TO  INTOXICATED  FRIENDS. 

At  3.20  a  friend  was  taken  into  the  nest. 

3.35  a  stranger  was  taken  into  the  nest,  but  after- 
wards brought  out  again  and  thrown  into 
the  water. 

4.  5  I  put  out  four  more  friends  and  as  many 
strangers. 

4.45  a  stranger  was  dropped  into  the  water. 

5.10  „  taken    into    the   nest,   but 

afterwards  brought  out  and 
thrown  into  the  water, 
taken    into    the    nest,    but 
afterwards  brought  out  and 
thrown  into  the  water. 

5,^0  a  friend  was  thrown  into  the  water. 

6.  4.  a  stranger         „  „ 

6.  8  a  friend  was  taken  into  the  nest. 

6.20 

6.23 

6.30  a  stranger  was  dropped  into  the  water. 

6.50  a  friend         „  „  ^^ 

8.  5  a  friend  was  taken  into  the  nest. 
In  this  case  two  friends  were  thrown  into  the  water 
and  seven  taken  into  the  nest ;  while  six  strangers  were 
thrown  into  the  water  and  four  were  taken  into  the  nest ; 
all  of  these,  however,  were  afterwards  brought  out  again 
and  thrown  away. 

December  8. — Experimented  with  six  friends  and  sii 
strangers,  beginning  at  11.30 


BEHAVIOUR  TO  INTOXICATED  FRIENDS. 


115 


55 


5> 


» 


5> 


At  11.30 

a  friend 

was  carried  to  nest. 

'  11.47 

n                        n 

11.50 

55                                       55 

11.52 

55                                        55 

11.56 

a  friend 

was  dropped  into  water. 

11.58 

a  stranger         „                     „ 

11.58 

jj 

55                                      55 

12 

a  Strang 

er  was  carried  to  nest. 

12.  2 

53 

55  •                            55 

12.  3 

53 

55                               55 

I  then  put  four 

more  of  each,  and  as  a  friend  or  a 

stranger  was 

carried  off,  replaced  her  by  another. 

At  12.45  a 

friend  to  the  water. 

12.58  a 

stranger  to  the  water. 

1       a 

friend  to  the  nest. 

1 

55                      55 

1 

55                      55 

1.58 

55                      55 

• 

1.59 

55                       55 

2.30  a 

stranger  to  the  water. 

, 

2.30 

55                         55 

2.35  a 

stranger  to  the  nest. 

2.42  a 

stranger  to  the  water. 

2.48 

55                               55 

2.51 

55                               W 

2.52 

55                     n 

2.55  a 

friend  to  the  nest. 

2-55  a 

stranger  to  the  water. 

2.55 

55                                 55 

116         BEHAVIOUR  TO   INTOXICATED  FRIENDS. 

At  3.  2  a  friend  to  the  water. 
3.  6  a  stranger  to  the  water. 
3.12  a  friend  to  the  water. 

3.15  „  „ 

3.16  a  friend  to  the  nest. 
3.22  a  stranger  to  the  water 
o.2d  „  „ 

3.25  a  friend  to  the  nest, 
3.35  a  stranger  to  the  water 
3.50  a  friend  to  the  nest. 
3.50         „  „ 

All  these  ants  appeared  quite  insensible.  Altogether 
sixteen  friends  were  taken  to  the  nest  and  fivethrown  into 
the  water,  while  of  the  strangers  only  three  were  taken 
to  the  nest,  and  fifteen  were  thrown  into  the  water. 
Moreover,  as  in  the  preceding  observation,  even  the 
three  strangers  which  were  at  first  taken  to  the  nest 
were  soon  brought  out  again  and  thrown  away  ;  while 
this  was  not  the  case  with  any  of  the  friends  as  far  as 
we  could  ascertain,  though  we  searched  diligently  for 
them  also.  In  this  case  also  all  the  intoxicated  ants 
were  motionless  and  apparently  insensible. 

January  15. — Repeated  the  same  experiment, 
beginning  at  12.20.  Up  to  7  p.m.  not  one  of  the  intoxi- 
cated ants  had  been  moved.  At  8.20  we  found  a 
stranger  in  the  water,  at  9.30  another,  and  at  the 
following  morning  a  third.   The  others  were  untouched. 

January  17. — Repeated  the  same  experiment, 
beginning  at  1 1.30, 


BEHAVIOUR  TO   INTOXICATED   FRIENDS. 


117 


At  12  a  friend  was  carried  to  the  nest. 

12.20  a  stranger  was  dropped  into  the  water. 

12.34  a  friend  was  carried  to  the  nest. 

12.40  a  stranger  was  dropped  into  the  water, 

12.45  a  friend  was  carried  to  the  nest, 
1       a  stranger         „  „ 

1  ,,  „  water 

(Stopped  observing  till  2.) 

2.30  a  stranger  was  dropped  into  the  water. 

2.30  a  stranger  was  carried  to  the  nest. 


>5 


9) 


9) 


» 


?9 


water. 

5> 


4.10 

4.30  a  friend 

6.20  a  stranger 

6.35  „ 

Thus,  then,  the  general  results  were  that  the  ants 
removed  forty-one  friends  and  fifty-two  strangers.  Of 
the  friends,  thirty-two  were  carried  into  the  nest  and 
nine  were  thrown  into  the  water.  Of  the  strangers,  on 
the  contrary,  forty-three  were  thrown  into  the  water ; 
only  nine  were  taken  into  the  nest,  and  seven  of  these 
were  shortly  afterwards  brought  out  again  and  thrown 
away.  Indeed,!  fully  believe  that  the  other  two  were 
treated  in  the  same  manner,  though  we  could  not  satisfy 
ourselves  of  the  fact.  But  it  wa«  only  by  very  close 
observation  that  the  seven  were  detected,  and  the  other 
two  may  well  have  escaped  notice. 

It  seems  clear,  therefore,  that  even  in  a  condition 
of  insensibility  these  ants  were  recognised  by  theii 
friends. 


118         BEHAVIOUK  TO  INTOXICATED  FRIENDS. 


Tabular  View. — Experiments  on  Ants  under 
Chloroform  and  Intoxicated. 


Chloroformed  Ants. 

Friends 

Strangehh 

Sept.  10 

To  Nest 

To 
Water 

Unre- 
moved 

To  Nest 

To 
Water 

Cure- 
movet] 

•  •  • 

•  •  • 

4 

•  •  ■ 

4 

... 

14 

•  •  • 

4 

•  • " 

2 

and  brouglit 
out  again 

2 

15 

1 

and  broug^ht 
out  again 

1 

'  •  • 

•  •  • 

9 

29 

•  •  • 

5 

•  •  • 

•  •  • 

4 

Oct.      2 

•  •  • 

5 

•  •  • 

1 

and  brought 

out  again 

4 

•  •  • 

6 

•  •  • 

5 

•  •  • 

•  •  • 

4 

•  •  • 

1 

20 

4 

3 

20 

2 

Intoxicated  . 

\NT8. 

Nov.  20 

3 

2 

•  •  • 

«  •  • 

5 

1 

22 

2 

•  •  • 

2 

•  •  » 

8 

•  •  • 

In  these  cases  some  of  the  Ants  had  partly  recovered ;  in  the 
following  they  were  quite  insensible. 


Dec. 

1 

7 

none  brought 

out  again 

2 

•  •  • 

3 

all  these 
brouglit  out 

8 

16 

none  brought 

out  again 

5 

ai^rain 

3 

all  these 

brought  out 

Jan. 

15 

•  •  • 

4 

again 

•  •  • 

17 

4 

•  •  ■ 

•  •  • 

3 

none  brought 
out  again 

one  brought 
out  again 

27 

4 

2 

G 

•  •• 

15 

•  •  • 

3 

1 

6 

... 

30 

1 

CHAPTER   VI. 

RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS. 

It  has  been  already  shown  that  with  ants,  as  with 
bees,  while  the  utmost  harmony  reigns  between  those 
belonging  to  the  same  community,  all  others  are 
enemies.  I  have  already  given  ample  proof  that  a  strange 
ant  is  never  tolerated  in  a  community.  This  of  course 
implies  that  all  the  bees  or  ants  of  a  community  have 
the  power  of  recognising  one  another,  a  most  surprising 
fact,  when  we  consider  the  shortness  of  their  life  and 
their  immense  numbers.  It  is  calculated  that  in  a 
single  hive  there  may  be  as  many  as  50,000  bees,  and 
in  the  case  of  ants  the  numbers  are  still  greater.  In 
the  large  communities  of  Formica  jmUeiisis  it  is 
probable  that  there  may  be  as  many  as  from  400,000 
to  500,000  ants,  and  in  other  cases  even  these  large 
numbers  are  exceeded. 

If,  however,  a  stranger  is  put  among  the  ants  of 
anotlier  nest,  she  is  at  once  attacked.  On  this  point 
I  have  satisfied  myself,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  following 
pages,  that  the  statements  of  Huber  and  others  are 
perfectly  correct.  If,  for  instance,  I  introduced  a 
stranger  into  one  of  my  nests,  say  of  Formica  fusca  oi 


>•«'"..  a.CJji'-'ifl&.iHaS-JS'^-'^t.j-  ^■rt-BJ%i 


120 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS. 


Lasius  niger,  she  was  at  once  attacked.  One  ant  would 
seize  her  by  an  antenna,  another  by  a  leg,  and  she  was 
either  dragged  out  of  the  nest  or  killed. 

Moreover,  we  have  not  only  to  deal  with  the  fact 
that  ants  know  all  their  comrades,  but  that  they  recog- 
nise them  even  after  a  lengthened  separation. 

Huber  mentions  that  some  ants  which  he  had  kept 
in  captivity  having  accidentally  escaped,  *  met  and 
recognised  their  former  companions,  fell  to  mutual 
caxesses  with  their  antennae,  took  them  up  by  their 
mandibles,  and  led  them  to  their  own  nests ;  they 
came  presently  in  a  crowd  to  seek  the  fugitives  under 
and  about  the  artificial  ant-hill,  and  even  ventured  to 
reach  the  bell-glass,  where  they  effected  a  complete 
desertion  by  carrying  away  successively  all  the  ants 
they  found  there.  In  a  few  days  the  ruche  was 
depopulated.  These  ants  had  remained  four  months 
without  any  communication.'  *  This  interesting  state- 
ment has  been  very  naturally  copied  by  succeeding 
WTiters.  See,  for  instance,  Kiri)y  and  Spence's  '  In- 
troduction to  Entomology,*  vol.  ii.  p.  6G,  and  Newport, 
*  Trans,  of  the  Entomological  Society  of  I^ondon,' 
vol.  ii.  p.  239. 

Forel,  indeed,  regards  the  movements  observed  by 
Huber  as  having  indicated  fear  and  surprise  rather  than 
affection  ;  though  he  is  quite  disposed  to  believe,  from 
his  own  observations,  that  ants  would  recognise  one 
another  after  a  separation  of  several  mouths. 

»  Huber,  p.  172. 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS. 


121 


The  observation  recorded  by  Huber  was  made 
casually,  and  he  did  not  take  any  steps  to  test  it  by 
subsequent  experiments.  The  fact,  however,  is  of 
so  much  importance  that  I  determined  to  make 
further  observations  on  the  subject.  In  the  first  place, 
I  may  repeat  that  I  have  satisfied  myself  by  many 
experiments,  that  ants  from  one  community  introduced 
into  another, — always  be  it  understood  of  the  same 
ftpecies, — are  attacked,  and  either  driven  out  or  killed. 
It  follows,  therefore,  that  as  within  the  nest  the  most 
complete  harmony  prevails — indeed,  I  have  never  seen 
a  quarrel  between  sister  ants —  they  must  by  some  means 
recognise  one  another. 

When  we  consider  their  immense  numbers  t.his  is 
sufficiently  surprising  ;  but  that  they  should  recognise 
one  another,  as  stated  by  Huber,  after  a  separation  of 
months,  is  still  more  astonishing. 

I  determined  therefore  to  repeat  and  extend  his 
observations. 

Accordingly,  on  August  20,  1875,  I  divided  a  colony 
of  Myrmica  ruginodis,  so  that  one  half  were  in  one 
nest,  A,  and  the  other  half  in  another,  B,  and  were 
kept  entirely  apart. 

On  October  3,  I  put  into  nest  B  a  stranger  and 
an  old  companion  from  nest  A.  They  were  marked 
with  a  si)ot  of  colour.  One  of  them  immediately 
flew  at  the  stranger ;  of  the  friend  they  took  no 
notice. 

October  18. — At  10  a.m.  I  put  in  a  stranger  and  a 
10 


122 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS 


friend  from  nest  A.  In  the  evening  the  former  was 
killed,  the  latter  was  quite  at  home. 

October  19. — I  put  one  in  a  small  bottle  with  a 
friend  from  nest  A.  They  did  not  show  any  enmity.  I 
then  put  in  a  stranger ;  and  one  of  them  immediately 
began  to  fight  with  her. 

October  24.  — I  again  put  into  the  nest  a  stranger 
and  a  friend.  The  former  was  attacked,  but  not  the 
latter.  The  following  day  I  found  the  former  almost 
dead,  while  the  friend  was  all  right. 

October  31. — I  again  put  a  stranger  and  a  friend  into 
the  nest.  The  former  was  at  once  attacked ;  in  this 
case  the  friend  also  was,  for  a  moment,  seized  by  the 
leg,  but  at  once  released  again.  On  the  following 
morning  the  stranger  was  dead,  the  friend  was  all 
right. 

November  7. — Again  I  put  in  a  stranger  and  a  friend. 
The  former  was  soon  attacked  and  eventually  driven 
out ;  of  the  latter  they  did  not  seem  to  me  to  take  any 
particular  notice.  I  could  see  no  signs  of  welcome,  no 
gathering  round  a  returned  friend ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  she  was  not  attacked. 

Again,  I  separated  one  of  my  colonies  of  Formica 
fusca  into  two  halves  on  August  4,  1875,  and  kept 
them  entirely  apart.  From  time  to  time  I  put  speci- 
mens from  the  one  half  back  into  the  other.  The  de- 
tails of  this  experiment  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 
At  first  the  friends  were  always  amicably  received,  but 
after  some  month.s'  separation  they  were  occasionally 


AFTER  SEPARATION  FOR  NEARLY  TWO  YEARS.     123 

attacked,  as  if  some  of  the  ants,  perhaps  the  young  ones, 
did  not  recognise  them.  Still  they  were  never  killed, 
or  driven  out  of  the  nest,  so  that  evidently  when  a 
mistake  was  made,  it  was  soon  recognised.  No  one 
who  saw  the  different  manner  in  which  these  ants  and 
strangers  were  treated,  could  have  the  slightest  doubt 
that  the  former  were  recognised  as  friends  and  the 
latter  as  enemies.  The  last  three  were  put  back  on 
May  14,  1877,  that  is  to  say,  after  a  separation  of  a 
year  and  nine  months,  and  yet  they  were  amicably  re- 
ceived, and  evidently  recognised  as  friends  ! 

These  observations  were  all  made  on  Formica  fusca , 
and  it  is  of  course  possible  that  other  species  would 
beha^^e  in  a  different  manner. 

Indeed,  in  this  respect  Lasins  flavus  offers  a  sur- 
prising contrast  to  F,  fusca,  I  was  anxious  to  see 
whether  the  colonies  of  this  species,  which  are  very 
numerous  round  my  house,  were  in  friendly  relations 
with  one  another.  With  this  view,  I  kept  a  nest  of  L, 
flavus  for  a  day  or  two  without  food,  and  then  gave 
them  some  honey,  to  which  they  soon  found  their  way 
in  numbers.  I  then  put  in  the  midst  of  them  an  ant 
of  the  same  species  from  a  neighbouring  nest;  the 
others  did  not  attack,  but,  on  the  contrary,  cleaned  her 
— thouirh,  from  the  attention  she  excited  and  the 
numerous  communications  which  took  place  between 
her  and  them,  I  am  satisfied  that  they  knew  she  was 
not  one  of  themselves.  After  a  few  minutes  she  accom- 
panied some  of  the  returning  ants  to  the  nest.     Thej 


124 


TREATMENT   OF  STRANG  ERa 


did  not  drag  nor  apparently  guide  her ;  but  she  went 
with  the  rest  freely.  This  I  repeated  several  times 
with  the  same  result. 

I  then  took  four  ants,  two  from  a  nest  about  500 
yards  from  the  first  in  one  direction,  the  other  from  an 
equal  distance  in  another.  In  all  cases  the  result  was 
the  same.  I  then  got  a  few  from  a  colony  about  half  a 
mile  off.  These  also  were  most  amicably  received,  and 
in  every  case  the  stranger  went  of  her  own  accord  to 
the  nest.  One  of  the  strangers  was,  indeed,  dragged 
about  half  way  to  the  entrance  of  the  nest,  but  was 
then  left  free  and  miirht  have  run  awav  if  she  had 
liked.  She,  however,  after  wandering  about  for  half  a 
minute,  voluntarily  entered  the  nest.  In  one  or  two 
cases  the  stranger  ran  as  quickly  and  straight  to  the 
nest  as  if  she  had  been  there  over  and  over  again. 
This,  I  suppose,  can  only  have  been  by  scent ;  and  cer- 
tainly no  hounds  in  full  cry  coidd  have  pursued  their 
game  more  directly  or  with  less  hesitation.  In  other 
cases,  however,  they  were  much  longer  before  they  went 
in.  To  satisfy  myself  that  these  facts  were  not  owing 
to  the  nest  having  been  taken  from  that  of  colonies 
or  allies,  I  subsequently  procured  some  ants  of  the 
same  species  from  a  nest  in  Hertfordshire  ;  and  they 
also  behaved  in  a  similar  manner.  In  one  or  two  cases 
they  seemed  to  be  attacked,  though  so  feebly  that  I  could 
not  feel  sure  about  it;  but  in  no  case  were  the  ants  killed. 

The  following  fact  surprised  me  still  more.  I  put 
an  ant  (Aug.  13)  at  9  a.m.  on  a  spot  where  a  number  o< 


TREATMENT  OF  STRANGERS. 


125 


Lasiits  Jlavits  (belonging  to  one  of  my  nests  of  domesti- 
cated ants)  had  been  feeding  some  hours  previously, 
though  none  were  there,  or,  indeed,  out  at  all,  at  the 
moment.  The  entrance  to  the  nest  was  about  eight 
inches  off ;  but  she  walked  straight  to  it  and  into  the 
nest.  A  second  wandered  about  for  four  or  five  minutes, 
and  then  went  in  ;  a  third,  on  the  contrary,  took  a  wrong 
direction,  and,  at  any  rate  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour, 
did  not  find  the  entrance. 

At  that  time,  liowever,  I  did  not  ascertain  what 
became  of  the  specimens  thus  introduced  into  a  strange 
community.  I  thought  it  would  be  worth  while  to 
determine  this,  so  I  subsequently  (1881)  took  six  ants 
from  one  of  my  nests  of  L,  fiavus,  marked  them,  and 
introduced  them  into  another  nest  of  the  same  species. 
As  in  the  preceding  cases  they  entered  quite  readily ; 
but  though  they  were  not  at  first  attacked,  they  were 
evidently  recognised  as  strangers.  The  others  ex- 
amined them  carefully,  and  at  length  they  were  all 
driven  out  of  the  nest.  Their  greater  readiness  to  enter 
a  strange  nest  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact 
that,  as  a  subterranean  species  their  instinct  always  is 
to  conceal  tliemselves  underground,  whereas,  F,  fusca, 
a  hunting  species,  does  not  do  so  except  to  enter  its 
own  nest. 

How  do  these  ants  and  bees  recognise  their  com- 
panions? The  difficulty  of  believing  that  in  such 
populous  communities  every  individual  knows  every 
other  by  sight,  has  led  some  entomologists  to  suppose 


126 


MODE   OF  RECOGNITION. 


that  each  nest  had  a  sign  or  password.  This  was,  foi 
instance,  the  opinion  of  Gelieu,  who  believed  that  in 
each  hive  the  bees  had  some  common  sign  or  password. 
As  evidence  of  this,  he  mentions  *  that  one  of  his  hives 
had  been  for  some  days  robbed  by  the  bees  from 
another :  *  et  je  desesperais  de  conserver  cet  essaim, 
lorsqu'un  jour,  sur  le  soir,  je  le  vis  fort  inquiet,  fort 
agite,  comme  s'il  eut  perdu  sa  reine.  Les  abeilles 
couraient  en  tout  sens  sur  le  devant  et  le  tablier  de  la 
ruche,  se  flairant,  se  tAtant  mutuellement,  comme  si 
elles  eussent  voulu  se  dire  quelque  chose.  C'etait  pour 
changer  leur  signe  de  reconnaissance,  qu'elles  changerent 
en  effet  pendant  la  nuit.  Toutes  les  pillardes  qui 
revinrent  le  lendemain,  furent  arretees  et  tuees.  Plu- 
sieurs  echapperent  aux  gardes  vigilantes  qui  defendaient 
Tentree  avertirent  sans  doute  les  autres  du  danger 
qu'elles  avaient  couru,  et  que  Ton  ne  pouvait  plus 
piller  impunement.  Aucune  de  celles  qui  voulurent 
recommencer  leur  depredation  ne  penetra  dans  la 
ruche,  dont  elles  avaient  fait  leur  proie,  et  qui  prospera 
merveilleusement.' 

Dujardin  doubts  the  explanation  given  by  Gelieu. 
He  thinks  that  *.he  nest  which  was  robbed  was  at  that 
time  queenless,  and  that  the  sudden  change  in  the 
behaviour  of  the  bees  was  due  to  their  having  acquired 
a  queen. 

Burmeister,  on  the  contrary,  in  his  excellent 
*  Manual  of  Entomology,'  says  that  '  the  power  of  com* 

*  Le  Comervateur  ties  AbtHlles,  p.  143. 


SUPPOSED  USE  OF  PASS  SIGNS. 


127 


muoicating  to  their  comrades  what  they  purpose  is 
peculiar  to  insects.  Much  has  been  talked  of  the 
so-called  signs  of  recognition  in  bees,  which  is  said  to 
consist  in  recognising  their  comrades  of  the  same  hive 
by  means  of  peculiar  signs.  This  sign  serves  to  pre- 
vent any  strange  bee  from  entering  into  the  same  hive 
without  being  immediately  detected  and  killed.  It, 
however,  sometimes  happens  that  several  hives  have 
the  same  signs,  when  their  several  members  rob  each 
other  with  impunity.  In  these  cases  the  bees  whose 
hive  suffers  most  alter  their  signs,  and  then  can  im- 
mediately detect  their  enemy.'  * 

Others,  again,  have  supposed  ants  recognise  one 
another  by  smell. 

Mr.  McCook  states  that  ants  more  or  less  soaked  in 
water  are  no  longer  recognised  by  their  friends,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  are  attacked.  Describing  the  following 
observation,  he  says  :  ^ — 'I  was  accidentally  set  upon  the 
track  of  an  interesting  discovery.  An  ant  fell  into  a 
box  containing  water  placed  at  the  foot  of  a  tree.  She 
remained  in  the  liquid  several  moments  and  crept  out. 
Immediately  she  was  seized  in  a  hostile  manner,  first 
by  one,  then  another,  then  by  a  third  :  the  two  an- 
tenn*  and  one  leg  were  thus  held.  A  fourth  ant 
assaulted  the  middle  thorax  and  petiole.  The  poor 
lit  lie  bather  was  thus  dragged  helplessly  to  and  fro 
for  a  long  time,  and  was  evidently  ordained  to  death. 

»  Burmcister's  EntonioUffy^  p.  502. 

*  Mound- making  Ants  of  the  Allcghanics,  p.  280. 


128 


SUPPOSED  RECOGNITION  BY  SCENT. 


Presently  I  took  up  the  struggling  heap.  Two  of  the 
assailants  kept  their  hold;  one  finally  dropped,  the 
other  I  could  not  tear  loose,  and  so  put  the  pair  back 
upon  the  tree,  leaving  the  doomed  immersionist  to  her 
hard  fate.' 

After  recording  one  or  two  other  similar  observa- 
tions, he  adds:'— 'The  conclusion,  therefore,  seems 
warranted  that  the  peculiar  odour  or  condition  by  which 
the  ants  recognise  each  other  was  temporarily  destroyed 
by  the  bath,  and  the  individuals  thus  "  tainted  "  were 
held  to  be  intruders,  alien  and  enemy.  This  con- 
clusion is  certainly  unfavourable  to  the  theory  that  any 
thing  like  an  intelligent  social  sentiment  exists  among 
the  ants.  The  recognition  of  their  fellows  is  reduced 
to  a  mere  matter  of  physical  sensation  or  "  smell." ' 
This  conclusion  does  not,  I  confess,  seem  to  me  to  be 
conclusively  established. 

We  can  hardly  suppose  that  each  ant  has  a  pecu- 
liar odour,  and  it  seems  almost  equally  difficult,  con- 
sidering the  immense  number  of  ants'  nests,  to  supix)se 
that  each  community  has  a  separate  and  peculiar  smell. 
Moreover,  in  a  previous  chaj^ter  I  have  recorded  some 
experiments  made  with  intoxicated  ants.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  my  ants  are  allowed  to  range  over  a 
table  surrounded  by  a  moat  of  water.  Now,  as  already 
mentioned,  out  of  forty-one  intoxicated  friends,  thirty- 
two  were  carried  into  the  nest  and  nine  were  thrown 
into  the  water;  while  out  of  fifty-two  intoxicated 
^  Mound'inaUng  Ants  of  the  AllegJianies,  p.  281. 


SUPPOSED  USE  OF  A  PASSWORD. 


129 


strangers  two  were  taken  into  the  nest  and  fifty  were 
thrown  into  the  water.  I  think  it  most  probable  that 
even  these  two  were  subsequently  brought  out  and 
treated  like  the  rest. 

It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  in  these  species,  and  I 
believe  in  most,  if  not  all  others,  the  ants  of  a  com- 
munity all  recognise  one  another.  The  whole  question 
is  full  of  difficulty.  It  occurred  to  me,  however,  that 
experiments  with  pupa3  might  throw  some  light  on 
the  subject.  Although  all  the  communities  are  deadly 
enemies,  still  if  larvae  or  pupae  from  one  nest  are  trans- 
ferred to  another,  they  are  tended  with  apparently  as 
much  care  as  if  they  really  belonged  to  the  nest.  In 
ant-warfare,  though  sex  is  no  protection,  the  young  are 
spared,  at  least  when  they  belong  to  the  same  species. 
Moreover,  though  the  habits  of  ants  are  greatly  changed 
if  they  are  taken  away  from  their  nest  and  kept  with 
only  a  few  friends,  still,  under  such  circumstances,  they 
will  carefully  tend  any  young  who  may  be  confidecf  to 
them.  Now  if  the  recognition  were  individual — if  the 
ants  knew  any  one  of  their  comrades,  as  we  know  our 
friends,  not  only  from  strangers,  but  from  one  another 
— then  young  ants  taken  from  the  nest  as  pupae  and 
restored  after  they  had  come  to  maturity  would  not 
be  recognised  as  friends.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
recognition  were  effected  by  means  of  some  signal  or 
password,  then  the  pupae  which  were  intrusted  to  ants 
from  another  nest  would  have  the  password,  if  any,  of 
that  nest ;  and  not  of  their  own.     Hence  in  this  case 


,.->  »frt.--t  jAAcw:>-*^3«s  J 


130 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH  PUPiE. 


ihey  would  be  amicably  received  in  the  nest  from 
which  their  nurses  had  been  taken,  but  not  in  their 
own. 

In  the  first  place,  therefore,  I  put,  on  September  2, 
1877,  some  pupae  from  one  of  my  nests  of  Formica 
fusca  with  a  couple  of  ants  from  the  same  nest.  On 
the  27th  I  put  two  ants,  which  in  the  meantime  had 
emerged  from  one  of  these  pupye,  back  into  their  own 
nest  at  8.30  a.m.,  marking  them  with  paint  as  usual. 
At  9  they  seemed  quite  at  home ;  at  9.30,  ditto  ;  at 
10,  ditto;  and  they  were  nearly  cleaned.  After  that 
I  could  not  distinguish  them. 

On  the  29th  another  ant  came  out  of  the  pupa- 
state  ;  and  on  October  1  at  7.45  I  put  her  back  into 
the  nest.  She  seemed  quite  at  home,  and  the  others 
Boon  began  to  clean  her.  We  watched  her  from  time 
to  time,  and  she  was  not  attacked  ;  but,  the  colour 
being  removed,  we  could  not  recognise  her  after  9.30. 

On  July  14  last  year  (1878)  I  put  into  a  small  glass 
some  pupge  from  another  nest  of  Formica  fusca  with 
two  friends. 

On  August  11  I  put  four  of  the  young  anta  which 
had  emerged  from  these  pup?e  into  the  nest.  After 
the  interval  of  an  hour,  I  looked  for  them  in  vain. 
The  door  of  the  nest  was  closed  with  cotton-wool ;  so 
that  they  could  not  have  come  out ;  and  if  any  were 
being  attacked,  I  think  we  must  have  seen  it.  I 
believe,  therefore,  that  in  the  meantime  they  had  been 
cleaned.     Still,  as  we  did  not  actually  watch  them,  I 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  PUP^. 


131 


was  not  satisfied.  I  put  in,  therefore,  two  more  at 
6  P.M.  At  5.30  they  were  all  right;  at  5.45,  ditto, 
one  being  almost  cleaned.  At  6  one  was  all  right ; 
the  other  was  no  longer  recognizable,  having  been  quite 
cleaned.  At  6.30  also  one  was  quite  at  home  ;  the 
other  could  not  be  distinguished.  At  7  both  had  been 
completely  cleaned 

The  following  day  I  marked  another,  and  put  her 
in  at  6  a.m.  At  6.15  she  was  all  right  among  the 
others,  and  also  at  6.30,  7,  7.30,  8,  and  9.30,  after 
which  I  could  no  longer  distinguish  her. 

Again,  on  the  following  day  I  put  in  another  at 
6.45  A.M.  At  7  she  was  quite  at  home,  and  also  at 
7.15,  7.30,  8,  and  to  9.30,  after  which  I  did  not  watch 
her. 

To  test  the  mode  in  which  the  ants  of  this  nest 
would  behiive  to  a  stranger,  I  then,  though  feeling  no 
doubt  as  to  the  result,  introduced  one.  The  difference 
was  very  striking.  The  stranger  was  a  powerful  ant; 
still  she  was  evidently  uncomfortable,  started  away 
from  every  ant  she  met,  and  ran  nervously  about, 
trying  to  get  out  of  the  nest.  She  was,  however,  soon 
attacked. 

Again,  on  October  1  some  pupae  of  Lasius  niger 
were  placed  in  a  glass  with  five  ants  from  the  same 
nest. 

On  December  8  I  took  three  of  the  ants  which  had 
emerged  from  these  pupae,  and  at  midday  put  them 
ba<k  into  their  old  nest,  having  marked  them  by  nick- 


*yJ^ibMt..  £  •:iMt*i*\ti 


132 


PUP^  REMOVED  FROM  NEST, 


ing  the  claws.  Of  course,  under  these  circumstances 
we  could  not  watch  the  ants.  I  examined  the  nest, 
however,  every  half  hour  very  carefully,  and  am  satisfied 
that  there  was  no  fighting.  The  next  morning  there 
was  no  dead  ant;  nor  was  there  a  death  in  the  nest  for 
more  than  a  fortnight. 

December  21. — Marked  three  more  in  the  same 
manner,  and  put  them  in  at  11.15  a.m.  Looked  at 
the  usual  intervals,  but  saw  no  fighting.  The  next 
morning  there  was  no  dead  one  outside  the  nest ;  but 
I  subsequently  found  one  of  these  ants  outside,  and 
nearly  dead.  I  am,  however,  disposed  to  think  that  I 
had  accidentally  injured  this  ant. 

December  23.— Painted  three,  and  put  them  in  at  10 
A.M.  At  11  they  were  all  right,  12  ditto,  1  ditto,  2  ditto, 
3  ditto,  4  ditto,  5  ditto.  At  3  I  put  in  three  strangers 
for  comparison  :  two  of  them  were  soon  attacked  ;  the 
other  hid  herself  in  a  corner;  but  all  three  were 
eventually  dragged  out  of  the  nest.  I  found  no  other 
dead  ant  outside  the  nest  for  some  days. 

December  29. — Painted  three  more,  and  put  them 
in  at  10.30  a.m.  At  II  they  were  all  right,  12  ditto,  1 
ditto,  2  ditto.  During  the  afternoon  they  were  once  or 
twice  attacked  for  a  minute  or  two,  but  the  ants  seemed 
soon  to  perceive  the  mistake,  and  let  them  go  again. 
The  next  morning  I  found  one  dead  ant,  but  had 
no  reason  to  suppose  that  she  was  one  of  the  above 
three.  The  following  morning  there  was  again  only 
one  dead  ant  outside  the  nest ;  she  was  the  third  of  the 


AND   RESTORED   AFTER  COMING  TO  MATURITY.    133 

Strangers  put  in  on  the  23rd,  as  mentioned  above.     Up 
to  January  23  found  no  other  dead  one. 

January  3,  1879.— Painted  three  more,  and  put 
them  in  at  11.30  a.m.  At  12  two  were  all  right:  we 
could  not  see  the  third  ;  but  no  ant  was  being  attacked. 
12  ditto.  1,  all  three  are  all  right;  2  ditto;  5  ditto. 
As  already  mentioned,  for  some  days  there  was  no  dead 
ant  brought  out  of  the  nest. 

January  5. — Painted  three  more  and  put  them  in 
at  11.30  A.M.  At  12  two  were  all  right  among  the 
others ;  I  could  not  find  the  third  ;  but  no  ant  was 
being  attacked.  12.30  ditto,  1  ditto,  2  ditto,  4  ditto. 
On  the  following  morning  I  found  two  of  them  all  right 
among  the  others.     There  was  no  dead  ant. 

January  13.— Painted  three  more  and  put  them  in 
at  12.30.  At  1  they  were  all  right.  2  ditto.  4,  two 
were  all  right ;  I  could  not  see  the  third,  but  she  was 
not  being  attacked.  The  next  morning,  when  I  looked 
at  the  nest,  one  was  just  being  carried,  not  dragged, 
out.  The  ant  carried  her  about  6  inches  and  then  put 
her  down,  apparently  quite  unhurt.  She  soon  returned 
into  the  nest,  and  seemed  to  be  quite  amicably  re- 
ceived by  the  rest.  Another  one  of  the  three  also 
seemed  quite  at  home.  The  third  I  could  not  see ;  but 
up  to  January  23  no  dead  one  was  brought  out  of  the 
nest. 

January  19.— Marked  the  last  three  of  these  ants, 
and  put  them  into  the  nest  at  9.30  a.m.  They  were 
watched  continuously  up  to  1.     At  that  time  two  of 


134     ANTS  REMOVED  AS  PUP^  AND   RESTORED 

them  bad  been  almost  completely  cleaned.  One  waa 
attacked  for  about  a  minute  soon  after  II,  and  another 
a  little  later;  but  with  these  exceptions  they  were 
quite  amicably  received,  and  seemed  entirely  at  home 
among  the  other  ants. 

Thus  every  one  of  these  thirty-two  ants  was  amic- 
ably received. 

These  experiments,  then,  seem  to  prove  that  ants 
removed  from  a  nest  in  the  condition  of  pupae,  but 
tended  by  friends,  if  reintroduced  into  the  parent  nest, 
are  recognised  and  treated  as  friends.  Nevertheless 
the  recognition  does  not  seem  to  have  been  complete. 
In  several  cases  the  ants  were  certainly  attacked, 
though  only  by  one  or  two  ants,  not  savagely,  and  only 
for  a  short  time.  It  seemed  as  if,  though  recognised 
as  friends  by  the  great  majority,  some  few,  more 
ignorant  or  more  suspicious  than  the  rest,  had  doubts 
on  the  subject,  which,  however,  in  some  manner 
still  mysterious,  were  ere  long  removed.  The  case 
in  which  one  of  these  marked  ants  was  carried  out  of 
the  nest  may  perhaps  be  explained  by  her  having  been 
supposed  to  be  ill,  in  which  case,  if  the  malady  is  con- 
sidered to  be  fatal,  ants  are  generally  brought  out  of 
the  nest. 

It  now  remained  to  test  the  result  when  the  pupae 
were  confided  to  the  care  of  ants  belonging  to  a  dififerent 
nost,  though,  of  course,  the  same  species. 

I  therefore  took  a  number  of  pupse  out  of  some  of 
cny  nests   of  Formica  fusca  and  put  them  in  small 


TO  THE  NEST  AFTER  COMING  TO  MATURITY.     135 

glasses,  with  ants  from  another  nest  of  the  same  species. 
Now,  as  already  mentioned,  if  the  recognition  were 
efifected  by  means  of  some  signal  or  jjassword,  then,  as 
we  can  hardly  suppose  that  the  larvae  or  pupse  would 
be  sufficiently  intelligent  to  appreciate,  still  less  to 
remember  it,  the  pupae  which  were  intrusted  to  ants 
from  another  nest  would  have  the  password,  if  any,  of 
that  nest,  and  not  of  the  one  from  which  they  had  been 
taken.  Hence,  if  the  recognition  were  effected  by 
some  password  or  sign  with  the  antennae,  they  would 
be  amicably  received  in  the  nest  from  which  their 
nurses  had  been  taken,  but  not  in  their  own. 

I  will  indicate  the  nests  by  the  numbers  in  my 
note-book. 

On  August  2Q  last  year  I  put  some  pupae  of 
Formica  fusca  from  one  of  my  nests  (No.  36)  with  two 
workers  from  another  nest  of  the  same  species.  Two 
emerged  from  the  chrysalis  state  on  the  30th ;  and  on 
September  2  I  put  them,  marked  as  usual,  into  their 
old  nest  (No.  36)  at  9.30  a.m.  At  9.45  they  seemed 
quite  at  home,  and  had  already  been  nearly  cleaned. 
At  10.15  the  same  was  the  case,  and  they  were  scarcely 
distinguishable.  After  that  I  could  no  longer  make 
them  out ;  but  we  watched  the  nest  closely,  and  I 
think  I  can  undertake  to  say  that  if  they  had  been 
attacked  we  must  have  seen  it. 

Another  one  of  the  same  batch  emerged  on  August 
18,  but  was  rather  crippled  in  doing  so.  On  the  2 1st 
[  put  her  into  the  nest  (No.  36).     This  ant  was  at  once 


136      ANTS  REMOVED   AS   PVTJE,  AND   RESTORLD 

attacked,  dragged  out  of  the  nest,  and  dropped  into  the 
surrounding  moat  of  water. 

Again,  on  July  14  last  year  (1878)  I  put  some  pupae 
of  Formica  fusca  from  nest  No.  36  into  a  glass  with 
three  ants  of  the  same  species  from  nest  No.  60. 

On  the  22nd  I  put  an  ant  from  one  of  these  pupae 
into  her  old  nest  (No.  36)  at  9.30  a.m.  She  was  at- 
tacked. At  10  she  was  being  dragged  about.  10.30 
ditto.     I  regretted  she  was  not  watched  longer. 

August  8. — Put  another  ant  which  had  emerged 
from  one  of  these  pupae  into  her  old  nest  (No.  36)  at 
7.45  A.M.  At  8  she  seemed  quite  at  home  among  the 
others.     8.15  ditto,  8.30  ditto,  9  ditto,  9.30  ditto. 

August  9. — Put  two  other  young  ants  of  this 
batch  into  their  old  nest  (No.  36)  at  7  A.M.  At  7.30 
they  were  all  right.  At  7.30  one  of  them  was  being 
dragged  by  a  leg,  but  only,  I  think,  to  bring  her  under 
shelter,  and  was  then  let  go.  Young  ants  of  this  spe- 
cies, when  the  nest  is  disturbed,  are  sometimes  dragged 
to  a  place  of  safety  in  this  way.  At  8.30  they  were 
all  right  and  nearly  cleaned.  After  this  I  could  not 
distinguish  them  ;  but  if  they  had  been  attacked,  we 
must  have  seen  it. 

August  11. — Put  in  another  one  as  before  at 
8.30  A.M.  At  8.45  she  was  all  right.  At  9  she  was 
dragged  by  a  leg,  like  the  last,  but  not  for  long ;  and 
at  9.30  she  was  quite  comfortable  amongst  the  others. 
le  ditto,  10.45  ditto,  12  ditto,  5  ditto. 

August  24.— Put  in  the  last  two  ants  of  this  lot 


TO  THE  NEST   AFTER  COMING  TO  MATURITY.   137 

as  before  at  9.15  a.m.  At  9.30  they  were  all  riirht. 
9.45  ditto.  At  10  they  were  almost  cleaned.  At  10.30 
I  could  only  distinguish  one  ;  and  she  had  only  a  speck 
of  colour  left.  She  appeared  quite  at  home  ;  and  though 
I  could  no  longer  distinguish  the  other,  I  must  have 
seen  it  if  she  had  been  attacked. 

Thus,  then,  out  of  seven  ants  of  this  batch  put  back 
into  their  old  nest,  six  were  amicably  received.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  put  one  into  nest  No.  60,  from  which  the 
three  nurses  were  taken.  She  was  introduced  into  the 
nest  at  8.15  a.m.,  and  was  at  once  attacked.  8.45,  she 
was  being  dragged  about.  9  ditto,  9.15  ditto,  9.30  ditto. 
Evidently  therefore  she  was  not  treated  as  a  friend. 

Again,  on  July  14,  1878,  I  put  some  pupae  of 
Formica  fusca  from  nest  No.  60  with  three  ants  from 
nest  No.  36. 

On  August  5  at  4  p.m.  I  put  an  ant  which  had 
emerged  from  one  of  these  pupae,  into  her  old  nest 
CNo.  60).  At  4.15  she  seemed  quite  at  home.  They 
were  already  cleaning  her ;  and  by  4.30  she  was  no  longer 
distinguiirhable.  We  watched  the  nest,  however,  care- 
fully for  some  time ;  and  I  feel  sure  she  was  not  attacked. 

August  6. — Put  another  of  this  batch  into  nest 
No.  60  at  7.15  a.m.  At  7.30  she  was  not  attacked.  At 
8,  one  of  the  ants  was  carefully  cleaning  her.  At  8.15 
fihe  was  quite  at  home  among  the  others.  At  8.30 
ditto ;  she  was  nearly  cleaned.     9.30  ditto. 

August  8. — Put  in  another  as  before  at  7.45.     At 

8  she  was  all  right.     8.30  ditto,  9.30  ditto,  9.45  ditto 
11 


a--" 


--•M 


IdiU^iiidjriiiMiudfa 


■  ..-tirJJ.,.  '^yaA.  J.-"-'"  '  .iiJifrUS. 


138      ANTS  REMOVED  AS  PUP^,  AND  RESTORED 

August  9. — Put  in  another  as  before  at  7  a.m.  At 
7.30  she  is  quite  at  home  among  the  others,  and  ab*eady 
Dearly  cleaned.  At  8  I  could  no  longer  distinguish  her  ; 
but  certainly  no  ant  was  being  attacked.     9  ditto. 

August  11.— Put  in  another  as  before  at  8  a.m. 
At  8.15  she  was  quite  at  home.  8.30  ditto,  9  ditto, 
9.30  ditto,  10  ditto,  12.30  ditto. 

August  13. — Lastly,  I  put  in  the  remaining  young 
ant  as  before  at  7  a.m.  At  7.15  she  was  all  right.  At 
7.30  ditto  and  nearly  cleaned.  At  8  I  could  no  longer 
distinguish  her;  but  no  ant  was  being  attacked. 

Thus,  then,  as  in  the  preceding  experiment,  these 
six  ants  when  reintroduced  into  the  nest  from  which 
they  had  been  taken  as  pupsp,  were  received  as  friends. 
On  the  other  hand,  on  August  5  I  put  a  young  ant  of 
the  same  batch  into  nest  No.  36,  from  which  the  three 
nurses  had  been  taken.  She  was  introduced  at  11  and 
was  at  once  attacked.  At  1 1.30  she  was  being  dragged 
about,  and  shortly  after  was  dragged  out  of  the  nest. 
I  then  introduced  a  second ;  but  she  was  at  once 
attacked  like  the  first. 

August  22. — I  put  some  pupa3  of  Formica  fusca 
from  nest  No.  64  under  the  charge  of  three  ants  from 
nest  No.  60.  By  September  7  several  young  ones  had 
emerf^ed.  I  put  two  of  them  into  nest  No.  64  at 
8.15  A.M.  They  were  amicably  received,  as  in  the  pre- 
ceding experiments,  and  the  ants  began  to  clean  them. 
At  8.30  they  were  all  right.  8.45  ditto.  At  9  they  had 
been  completely  cleaned,  so  that  I  could  not  distinguisli 


TO   THE   NEST  AFTER  COMING   TO   MATURITY.  139 

them;   but   there   was   no   fighting   going  on  in  the 
nest. 

On  the  same  day,  at  9.45  A.M.,  I  put  into  nest  64 
two  more  as  before.  At  10  they  were  both  quite  at 
home  among  the  other  ants.  10.15  ditto,  10.30  ditto, 
1 1  ditto,  1 2  ditto,  1  ditto.  I  then  put  in  a  stranger ; 
and  she  was  at  once  fiercely  attacked. 

September  8. — Put  in  two  more  of  the  ants  which 
had  emerged  from  the  pupoe,  as  before,  at  9.30  a.m. 
At  9.45  they  were  all  right.  10  ditto,  10.30  ditto,  11 
ditto,  11.30  ditto,  12  ditto,  1  ditto. 

On  the  other  hand,  on  September  14,  I  put  one  of 
these  ants  in  the  same  manner  into  nest  No.  60  at  6.30 
A.M.  She  was  at  once  attacked.  At  6.45  she  was  being 
dragged  about  by  an  antenna.  7  ditto.  At  7.30  she  was 
by  herself  in  one  comer.  At  8.30  she  was  again  being 
dragged  about.  9.30  ditto.  The  difference,  therefore, 
was  unmistakable. 

Once  more,  on  July  29  I  put  some  pupae  of  Formica 
fusca  from  out  of  doors  under  the  charge  of  three  ants 
from  nest  No.  36. 

August  3.— Several  had  come  out,  and  I  put  two 
of  them  into  the  nest  of  their  nurses  (No.  36)  at  2  p.m. 
Both  were  at  once  attacked.  At  2.45  they  were  being 
dragged  about.  3  ditto.  3.30  one  was  being  dragged 
about.  4,  both  were  being  attacked.  Eventually  one 
was  turned  out  of  the  nest.     The  other  I  lost  sight  of. 

August  4. — Put  two  more  of  this  batch  into  nest 
No.  36,  at  12.30.     One  was  at  once  attacked.     1,  one 


.  J<j.i».^-!wai.  Aa 


140 


YOUNG    ANTS  RECOGNISED   EVEN 


was  being  dragged  about  by  an  antenna.  2.30,  both 
were  being  attacked.  At  2.45  one  was  dragged  out  of 
the  nest. 

I  then  put  back  one  of  the  old  ones ;  as  might  have 
been  expected,  she  was  received  quite  amicably. 

I  then  tried  the  same  experiment  with  another 
species,  Lasius  niffer.  I  took  some  pupne  from  two  of 
my  nests,  which  I  knew  not  to  be  on  friendly  terms, 
and  which  I  will  call  1  and  2,  and  confided  each  batch 
to  three  or  four  ants  taken  from  the  other  nest.  When 
they  had  come  to  maturity  I  introduced  them  into  the 
nests  as  before. 

They  were  taken  from  their  nest  on  September  20 ; 
and  the  results  were  as  follows. 

Pupae  from  nest  1  confided  to  ants  from  nest  2. 

September  20. — Put  one  of  the  young  ones  into 
nest  2  at  7.15  A.M.  Several  at  once  threatened  her. 
At  7.25  one  of  the  ants  seized  her  by  an  antenna,  and 
began  dragging  her  about.  7.30,  she  was  still  being 
dragged  about.  8,  ditto.  8.15,  she  was  now  being 
dragged  about  by  three  ants.  8.30,  she  was  still  attacked. 
9,  ditto.     At  9.15  she  was  dragged  out  of  the  nest. 

September  23. — Put  two  of  the  young  ants  into 
nest  1  at  9.15  a.m.  One  was  at  once  attacked,  and 
the  other  a  few  minutes  afterwards.  9.45,  both  were 
attacked.  10,  ditto.  One  was  now  dead  and  hanging  on 
to  a  leg  of  assailant.  10  15  ditto.  10.45,  both  were  still 
being  dragged  about. 

At  1 1  A.M.  I  put  into  nest  2  three  more  very  young 


WHEN   REMOVED   IN   THE  STATE  OF  PUP^.      141 

ones.  At  11.10  one  was  attacked.  At  11.20  all  three 
were  being  viciously  attacked,  and  yet  one  was  nearly 
cleaned.  At  12  one  was  being  attacked,  one  was  alone 
in  a  corner,  the  other  we  could  not  find.  At  12.10  one 
was  dragged  ou*:  of  the  nest  and  then  abandoned,  on 
which,  to  my  surprise,  she  ran  into  the  nest  again, 
which  no  old  ant  would  have  done.  She  was  at  once 
again  seized  by  an  antenna.  At  12.30  she  was  still 
being  dragged  about ;  the  second  was  being  cleaned. 
In  this  instance,  therefore,  I  think  two  out  of  the  three 
were  eventually  accepted  as  inmates  of  the  nest. 

September  25.— Put  two  of  the  young  ones  into 
nest  1  at  2.30  r.M.  At  2.45  one  was  attacked,  but  not 
viciously.  3  ditto,  3.15  ditto.  No  notice  was  taken  of 
the  other,  though  several  ants  came  up  and  examined  her. 
3.30,  the  first  was  not  attacked,  the  second  was  almost 
cleaned.  4,  the  first  has  been  again  attacked,  but  not 
viciously,  and  moreover  has  been  partly  cleaned.  The 
second  was  evidently  received  as  a  friend,  and  was  almost 
cleaned.  4.30,  they  are  both  comfortably  among  the 
others  and  are  almost  clean.  At  5  I  could  no  lono-ei 
distinguish  them. 

I  now  pass  to  the  other  batch,  namely,  pupie  from 
aest  2  with  ants  from  nest  I . 

September  25.— Put  three  of  the  young  ants  into 
nest  1  at  9.30  a.m.  At  9.45  two  were  attacked,  the 
third  was  by  herself.  10  ditto.  At  10.15  one  made  her 
escape  from  the  nest.  At  10.20  the  third  was  attacked. 
At  1  0.30  one  of  them  was  diagged  out  of  the  nest,  and 


142 


YOUNG  ANTS  RECOGNISED 


then  abandoned.     At  10.50  the  third  also  was  dragged 
out  of  the  nest. 

I  then  put  two  of  these  ants  and  a  third  young  one 
into  nest  2.  At  11.15  a.m.  they  seemed  quite  happy; 
but  at  11.30  two  were  being  dragged  about ;  the  third, 
who  was  very  young,  was,  on  the  contrary,  being  care- 
fully cleaned.  At  12  this  last  one  was  undistinguish- 
able  ;  of  the  other  two,  one  was  being  attacked,  the 
second  was  taken  no  notice  of,  though  several  ants 
came  up  to  her.  At  12.5  the  first  was  dragged  out  of 
the  nest  and  then  abandoned  ;  the  second  was  being 
carefully  cleaned.  This  went  on  till  12.20,  when  the 
paint  was  entirely  removed. 

September  27. — I  put  in  three  more  of  these  young 
ants  into  nest  I,  at  7.45  A.M.  At  8  o'clock  they  seemed 
quite  at  home  among  the  other  ants.  A  few  minutes 
after,  one  was  being  held  by  a  leg ;  the  other  two  seemed 
quite  at  home.  At  8.30  one  was  almost  cleaned,  the 
other  I  could  not  see.  At  9  two  of  them  were  quite  at 
home,  but  I  could  not  see  the  third.  At  9.30  they  were 
both  nearly  cleaned  ;  and  after  that  we  were  no  longer 
able  to  distinguish  them. 

Thinking  the  results  might  be  different  if  the  anta 
were  allowed  to  become  older  before  being  returned  into 
their  nests,  I  made  no  further  observations  with  these 
ants  for  two  months.  I  then  took  two  of  the  ants  which 
had  emerged  from  the  pupae  separated  on  Septem- 
ber 20,  and  which  had  been  brought  up  by  ants 
from  nest  2,  and  on  November  22  I  put  them  back 


EVEN   WHEN   REMOVED   AS  PUP^.. 


143 


at  12  A.M.  in  their  old  nest  (that  is  to  say,  in  nest  I), 
having  marked  them  as  usual,  with  paint.  They  showed 
no  signs  of  fear,  but  ran  about  among  the  other  ants  with 
every  appearance  of  being  quite  at  home.  At  1 2.1 5  ditto. 
At  12.30  one  was  being  cleaned.  At  12.45  both  were 
being  cleaned  ;  and  by  1  o'clock  they  could  scarcely  be 
distinguished  from  the  other  ants.  There  had  not 
been  the  slightest  symptoms  of  hostility.  After  this 
hour  we  could  no  longer  identify  them  ;  but  the  nest 
was  carefully  watched  throughout  the  afternoon,  and  I 
think  I  can  undertake  to  say  that  they  were  not 
attacked.  When  we  left  off  watching,  the  nest  was 
enclosed  in  a  box.  The  next  morning  I  examined  it 
carefully,  to  see  if  there  were  any  dead  bodies.  This 
was  not  the  case ;  and  I  am  satisfied,  therefore,  that 
neither  of  these  two  ants  was  killed.  To  test  these 
ants,  I  then,  on  November  24,  at  8.30  a.m.,  put  into 
the  nest  two  ants  from  nest  2.  At  8.40  one  was 
attacked  ;  the  other  had  hid  herself  awav  in  a  corner. 
At  9.15  both  of  the  ants  were  being  dragged  about.  At 
9.35  one  was  dragged  out  of  the  nest  and  then  released, 
and  the  other  a  few  minutes  afterwards.  After  watch- 
ing them  for  some  time  to  see  that  they  remained  out- 
side, I  restored  them  to  their  own  nest.  The  contrast, 
therefore,  was  very  marked. 

Again,  on  November  25,  I  took  two  ants  which  had 
emerged  from  pupoe  belonging  to  nest  2,  removed  on 
September  20,  and  brought  up  by  ants  from  nest  1, 
and  put  them  back  into  their  old  nest  at  2  P.M.     Thej 


w 


144 


YOUNG  ANTS  RECOGNISED 


WHEN   REMOVED  AS  PUP^. 


145 


were  watched  continuously  until  4  p.xM.,  but  were  not 
attacked,  nor  even  threatened.  The  following  morning 
one  of  them  was  quite  well,  the  other  one  we  could 
not  distinguish  ;  she  had  probably  been  cleaned.  If 
she  had  been  killed,  we  must  have  found  her  dead 
body.  I  then  at  10  a.m.  put  in  two  more.  At 
10.30  one  of  them  was  attacked  for  a  moment,  but 
only  for  a  moment.  With  this  exception  neither  of 
them  was  attacked  until  2  o'clock,  when  one  of  them 
was  again  seized  and  dragged  about  for  a  minute  or 
two,  but  then  released  again.  We  continued  watching 
them  till  half-past  4,  when  they  seemed  quite  at  home 
amongst  the  others.  On  the  other  hand  a  stranger, 
put  in  as  a  test  at  12,  was  at  once  attacked.  It  was 
curious,  however,  that  although  she  was  undoubtedly 
attacked,  yet  at  the  very  same  time  another  ant  began 
to  clean  her. 

The  next  morning  we  found  one  ant,  and  only  one,  in 
the  box  outside  the  nest ;  and  this  turned  out  to  be  the 
stranger  of  yesterday.  She  had  been  almost  cleaned  ; 
but  there  were  one  or  two  small  particles  of  paint  still 
remaining,  so  that  there  could  be  no  doubt  of  her 
identity. 

The  next  day,  November  27,  I  put  in  three  more 
of  the  ants  derived  from  these  pupae  at  10  a.m.  At 
10.30  they  were  all  right,  running  about  amongst  the 
others.  At  1 1  o'clock  the  same  was  the  case ;  but 
whilst  I  was  looking  again  shortly  afterwards,  one  of 
them  was  seized  by  an  antenna  and  dragged  a  little 


way,  but  released  again  in  less  than  a  minute.  Shortly 
afterwards  one  of  the  others  was  also  seized,  but  let  go 
again  almost  immediately.  At  one  o'clock  they  were 
all  right,  and  also  at  two.  They  had,  however,  in  the 
meantime  been  more  than  once  threatened,  and  even 
momentarily  seized,  though  they  were  never  dragged 
about  as  strangers  would  have  been.  At  three  o'clock 
I  found  one  of  them  desd  ;  but  I  think  I  must  have 
accidentally  injured  her, and  I  do  not  believe  that  she  was 
killed  by  the  other  ants,  though  I  cannot  speak  quite 
positively  about  it.  The  other  two  were  quite  at  home, 
and  had  been  partly  cleaned.  At  six  one  of  them  was 
running  about  comfortably  amongst  the  rest;  the  other 
I  could  not  distinguish ;  but  certainly  no  ant  was  being 
attacked. 

November  28. — I  put  in  the  last  two  ants  from  the 
above-mentioned  batch  of  pupae  at  noon.  Like  the 
preceding,  these  ants  were  occasionally  threatened,  and 
even  sometimes  attacked  for  a  moment  or  two;  but 
the  other  ants  soon  seemed  to  find  out  their  mistake, 
and  on  the  whole  they  were  certainly  treated  as  friends, 
the  attacks  never  lasting  more  than  a  few  moments. 
One  of  them  was  watched  at  intervals  of  half  an  hour 
until  5  P.M. ;  the  other  we  could  not  distinguish  after 
3  P.M.,  the  paint  having  been  licked  off;  but  we 
should    certainly    have    observed    it    had    she    been 

at  tacked. 

On  the  whole,  then,  all  the  thirty-two  ants  belonging 
to  Formica  fusca  and  Lasius  niger,  removed  from 


146 


SISTER  ANTS  RECOGNISED 


their  nest  as  pupae,  attended  by  friends  and  restored  to 
their  own  nest,  were  amicably  received. 

What  is  still  more  remarkable,  of  twenty-two  ants 
belonging  to  F,  fusca,  removed  as  pupop,  attended  by 
strangers,  and  returned  to  their  own  nest,  twenty  were 
amicably  received.  As  regards  one  1  am  doubtful ;  the 
last  was  crippled  in  coming  out  of  the  pupa-case ;  and 
to  this  perhaps  her  unfriendly  reception  may  have  been 
due. 

Of  the  same  number  of  Lasius  niger  developed 
in  the  same  manner  from  pupae  tended  by  strangers 
belonging  to  the  same  species,  and  then  returned  into 
their  own  nest,  nineteen  were  amicably  received,  three 
were  attacked,  and  about  two  I  feel  doubtful. 

On  the  other  hand,  fifteen  specimens  belonging  to 
the  same  two  species,  removed  as  pupae,  tended  by 
strangers  belonging  to  the  same  species,  and  then  put 
into  the  strangers'  nest,  were  all  attacked. 

The  results  may  be  tabulated  as  follows : — 


PapaB  brought  up 

by  friends  and 

replaced  in  ti.eir  own  nest 

Attacked 0 

Rt  ceived  amicably    .  .  33 


Pup ne  brought  up  by  s» rangers. 
Put  in  own  Put  in  btranj^ers' 

nesr.  nest. 


7' 
37 


16 
0 


The  differences  cannot  be  referred]  to  any  difference 
of  temperament  in  different  nests.  The  specimens  of 
F.  fusca  experimented  with  in  August  and  September 
last  were  taken  principally  from  two  nests,  nvimbered 
respectively  36  and  60.  Now,  while  nest  ?tj.  in  most 
'  I  do  not  feel  sure  about  three  of  theae. 


EVEN   IF  BROUGHT   UP  SEPARATELY. 


147 


cases,  amicably  received  ants  bred  from  its  own  pupae 
but  tended  by  ants  from  60,  it  showed  itself  fiercely 
hostile  to  ants  from  pupae  born  in  nest  60,  even  when 
these  had  been  tended  by  ants  from  nest  36.  Nest  60, 
again,  behaved  in  a  similar  manner ;  amicably  receiving, 
as  a  general  rule,  its  own  young,  even  when  tended 
by  ants  from  36 ;  and  refusing  to  receive  ants  born  in 
nest  36,  even  when  tended  by  specimens  from  nest  60. 

These  experiments  seem  to  indicate  that  ants  of  the 
same  nest  do  not  recognise  one  another  by  any  pass- 
word. On  the  other  hand,  they  seem  to  show  that  if  ants 
are  removed  from  a  nest  in  the  pupa-state,  tended  by 
strangers,  and  then  restored,  some  at  least  of  their  rela- 
tives are  puzzled,  and  for  a  time  doubt  their  claim  to  con- 
sanguinity. I  say  some,  because  while  strangers  under 
the  circumstances  would  have  been  immediately  at- 
tacked, these  ants  were  in  every  case  amicably  received 
by  the  majority  of  the  colony,  and  it  was  sometimes 
several  hours  before  they  came  across  one  who  did  not 
recognise  them. 

In  all  these  experiments,  however,  the  ants  were 
taken  from  the  nest  as  pupae,  and  though  I  did  not 
think  the  fact  that  they  had  passed  their  larval  existence 
in  the  nest  could  affeict  the  problem,  still  it  might  do 
so.  I  determined  therefore  to  separate  a  nest  before 
the  young  were  bom,  or  even  the  eggs  laid,  and  then 
ascertain  the  result.  Accordingly  I  took  one  of  my  nests 
of  F,  fusca,  which  I  began  watching  on  Sept.  13,  1878, 
and  which  contained  two  queens,  and  on  February  8, 


148 


SISTER  ANTS  RECOGNISED 


1879,  divided  it  into  halves,  which  I  will  call  A  and  B, 
80  that  there  were  approximately  the  same  number  of 
ants  with  a  queen  in  each  division.  At  this  season, 
of  course,  the  nest  contained  neither  young  nor  even 
eggs.  During  April  both  queens  began  to  lay  eggis. 
On  July  20  I  took  a  number  of  pupae  from  each  division 
and  placed  each  lot  in  a  separate  glass,  with  two  ants 
from  the  same  division.  On  August  30  I  took  four 
ants  from  the  pup£e  bred  in  B,  and  one  from  those  in  A 
(which  were  not  quite  so  forward),  and  after  marking 
them  as  usual  with  paint,  put  the  B  ants  into  nest 

A,  and  the  A  ant  into  nest  B.  They  were  received 
amicably  and  soon  cleaned.  Two,  indeed,  were  once 
attacked  for  a  few  moments,  but  soon  released.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  put  two  strangers  into  nest  A,  but 
they  were  at  once  driven  out.  For  facility  of  observa- 
tion I  placed  each  nest  in  a  closed  box.  On  the  31st 
I  carefully  examined  the  nests  and  also  the  boxes  in 
which  1  placed  them.  I  could  only  distinguish  one 
of  the  marked  ants,  but  there  were  no  dead  ants  either 
in  the  nests  or  boxes. 

I  carefully  examined  the  box  in  the  same  way  for 
several  successive  mornings,  but  there  was  no  dead 
ant.  If  there  had  been  I  must  have  found  the  body, 
and  I  am  sure,  therefore,  that  these  ants  were  not 
attacked. 

Again,  on  August  31  I  put  two  more  of  the  anta 
which  had  emerged  from  the  pupae  taken  out  of  nest 

B,  and  nursed  by  ants  from  that  nest,  into  nest  A  at 


EVEN   IF  BROUGHT   UP  SEPARATELY.  149 

10  A.M.  At  10.30  A.M.  they  were  quite  comfortable 
amongst  the  others.  At  1 1  a.m.  I  looked  again  and 
they  seemed  quite  at  home,  as  also  at  11.30  a.m.,  after 
which  I  looked  every  hour, and  they  were  never  attacked. 
The  next  morning  I  found  them  peaceably  among  the 
other  ants. 

On  September  15  I  put  three  of  the  ants  which  had 
emerged  from  the  pupae  taken  out  of  nest  A,  and 
nursed  by  ants  from  that  nest,  and  put  them  into  nest 
B  at  1.30  P.M.  They  seemed  to  make  themselves  quite 
at  home.  I  looked  again  at  2.30  p.m.,  with  the  same 
result.  At  3.30  p.m.  I  could  only  find  two,  the  third 
having  no  doubt  been  cleaned,  but  no  ant  was  being 
attacked.  At  5.30  p.m.  they  were  no  longer  distin- 
guishable, but  if  any  one  was  being  attacked  we  must 
have  seen  it.  The  next  morning  they  all  seemed  quite 
peaceful,  and  tliere  was  no  dead  ant  in  the  box.  I 
looked  again  on  the  17th  and  19th,  but  could  not 
distinguish  them.  As,  however,  there  was  no  dead 
ant,  they  certainly  had  not  been  killed.  I  then  put  in 
a  stranger ;  she  was  soon  attacked  and  driven  out  of 
the  nest^showing  that,  as  usual,  they  would  not  tole- 
rate an  ant  whom  they  did  not  recognise  as  in  some 
way  belonging  to  the  community. 

Again,  on  April  10,  1881,  I  divided  a  two-queencd 
nest  of  Formica  fusca,  leaving  a  queen  in  each  half. 
At  that  time  no  eggs  had  yet  been  laid,  and  of  course 
there  were  no  larvae  or  pupae.  In  due  course  both 
queens  laid  eggs,  and  young  ants  were  brought  up  in 


150     RECOGNITION  NOT  INDIVIDUAL  OR  PERSONAL, 


NOR  DUE   TO  THE  USE  OF   A   PASSWORD. 


151 


each  half  of  the  nest.  I  will  call  the  two  halves  as 
before  A  and  B. 

On  August  15,  at  9  a.m.,  I  put  three  of  the  young 
ants  from  A  into  B,  and  three  from  B  into  A.  At 
9.30  A.M.  none  were  attacked,  10  a.m.  ditto,  10.30  a.m. 
ditto.  One  was  being  cleaned  ;  12  a.m.  ditto,  2  p.m. 
ditto.  In  fact,  they  seemed  quite  at  home  with  the 
other  ants.  The  next  morning  I  was  unable  to  recog- 
nise them,  the  paint  having  been  entirely  removed. 
The  ants  were  all  peaceably  together  in  the  nest,  and 
there  were  no  dead  ones  either  in  the  nest  or  in  the 
outer  box.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  they  had 
been  treated  as  friends. 

August  17. — I  put  in  three  more  from  B  into  A  at 
noon.  At  12.30  p.m.  they  were  with  the  other  ants; 
at  I  P.M.,  ditto,  at  2  p.m.  ditto,  at  3  p.m.  ditto,  at 
5  p.m.  ditto.  The  following  morning  I  was  still  able 
to  recognise  them,  though  most  of  the  paint  had  been 
removed.  They  also  were  evidently  treated  as  part  of 
the  community. 

September  19. — Put  in  three  more  from  A  into  B 
at  8.30  a.m.  I  looked  at  them  at  intervals  of  half  an 
hour,  but  none  of  them  were  attacked.  Next  morning 
there  was  no  ant  outside  the  nest,  nor  had  any  been 
killed. 

October  10. — Put  in  three  more  at  7  a.m.,  and 
looked  at  intervals  of  an  hour.  They  were  not  at- 
tacked, and  evidently  felt  themselves  among  friends. 
The  next  morning  I  was  still  able  to  recognise  two. 


There  was  no  dead  ant  either  in  the  nest  or  the  outei 
box. 

lastly,  on  October  15,1  put  in  four  more  at  7  a.m., 
and  watched  them  all  day  at  short  intervals.  They 
exhibited  no  sign  of  fear,  and  were  never  attacked. 
In  fact,  they  made  themselves  quite  at  home,  and  were 
evidently,  like  the  preceding,  recognised  as  friends.  For 
the  sake  of  comparison  at  noon  I  again  put  in  a  stranger. 
Her  behaviour  was  in  marked  contrast.  The  preceding 
ants  seemed  quite  at  home,  walked  about  peaceably 
among  the  other  ants,  and  made  no  attempt  to  leave 
the  nest.  The  stranger,  on  the  contrary,  ran  uneasily 
about,  started  away  from  any  ant  she  met,  and  made 
every  effort  to  get  out  of  the  nest.  After  she  had 
three  times  escaped  from  the  nest,  I  put  her  back  with 
her  own  friends. 

Thus,  then,  when  a  nest  of  Formica  fusca  was 
divided  early  in  spring,  and  when  there  were  no  young, 
the  ants  produced  in  each  half  were  in  twenty-eight 
cases  all  received  as  friends.  In  no  case  was  there  the 
slightest  trace  of  enmity. 

These  observations  seem  to  me  conclusive  as  far  as 
they  go,  and  they  are  very  surprising.  In  the  previous 
experiments,  though  the  results  were  similar,  still  the 
ants  experimented  with  had  been  brought  up  in  the 
nest,  and  were  only  removed  after  they  had  become 
pupa?.  It  might  therefore  be  argued  that  the  ants 
having  nursed  them  as  larva9,  recognized  them  when 
they  came  to  maturity  ;  and  though  this  would  cer- 


<r3 


152 


MODE  OF    RECOGNITION. 


tainly  be  in  the  highest  degree  improbable,  it  could 
not  be  said  to  be  impossible.  In  the  present  case, 
however,  the  old  ants  had  absolutely  never  seen  the 
young  ones  until  the  moment  when,  some  days  after 
arriving  at  maturity,  they  were  introduced  into  the 
nest ;  and  yet  in  twenty-one  cases  they  were  undoubt- 
edly recognised  as  belonging  to  the  community. 

It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  to  be  established  by 
these  experiments  that  the  recognition  of  ants  is  not 
personal  or  individual;  that  their  harmony  is  not 
due  to  the  fact  that  each  ant  is  individually  acquainted 
with  every  other  member  of  the  community. 

At  the  same  time,  the  fact  that  they  recognise 
their  friends  even  when  intoxicated,  and  that  they 
know  the  young  bom  in  their  own  nest  even  when 
they  have  been  brought  out  of  the  chrysalis  by 
strangers,  seems  to  indicate  that  the  recognition  is  not 
effected  by  means  of  any  sign  or  password 


CHAPTEK   VII. 

POWER   OF  COMMUNICATION. 

The  Social  Hymenoptera,  according  to  Messrs.  Kirby 
and  Spence,'  '  have  the  means  of  communicating  to 
each  other  information  of  various  occurrences,  and  use 
a  kind  of  language  which  is  mutually  understood, 
....  and  is  not  confined  merely  to  giving  intel- 
ligence of  the  approach  or  absence  of  danger ;  it  is 
also  co-extensive  with  all  their  other  occasions  for 
communicating  their  ideas  to  each  other.' 

Iluber  assures  us  as  regards  Ants  2  that  he  has 
'frequently  seen  the  antennae  used  on  the  field  of 
battle  to  intimate  approaching  danger,  and  to  ascertain 
their  own  party  when  mingled  with  the  enemy ;  they 
are  also  employed  in  the  interior  of  the  ant-hill  to 
apprise  their  companions  of  the  presence  of  the  sun,  so 
favourable  to  the  development  of  the  larvae,  in  their 
excursions  and  emigrating  to  indicate  their  route,  in 
their  recruitings  to  determine  the  time  of  departure,' 
&c.  Elsewhere  also  he  says  ^  « that  should  an  Ant  faU 
in  with  any  of  her  associates  from  the  nest  they  put 
her  in  the  right  way  by  the  contact  of  their  antennse.' 

'  Tntroducfion  to  Kntomohny,  ii.  p.  50.        ^  Loc.  dt.  p.  206 
•  I.MO.  cit.  p   lo7. 

I** 


154 


STATEMENTS  OF  PREVIOUS   AUTHORS. 


These  statements  are  most  interesting;  and  it  is 
much  to  be  regretted  that  he  has  not  given  us  in  detail 
the  evidence  on  which  they  rest.  In  another  passage, 
indeed,  he  himself  says,^  '  If  they  have  a  language,  I 
cannot  give  too  many  proofs  of  it.'  Unfortunately, 
however,  the  chapter  which  he  devotes  to  this  impor- 
tant subject  is  very  short,  and  occupied  with  general 
statements  rather  than  with  the  accounts  of  the  par- 
ticular experiments  and  observations  on  which  those 
statements  rest.  Nor  is  there  any  serious  attempt  to 
ascertain  the  nature,  character,  and  capabilities  of  this 
antennal  language.  Even  if  by  motions  of  these  organs 
Ants  and  Bees  can  caress,  can  express  love,  fear,  anger, 
&c.,  it  does  not  follow  that  they  can  narrate  facts  or 
describe  localities. 

The  facts  recorded  by  Kirby  and  Spence  are  not 
more  explicit.  It  is  therefore  disappointing  to  read  in 
the  chapter  especially  devoted  to  this  subject,  that,  as 
ref^ards  the  power  possessed  by  Ants  and  Bees  to  com- 
municate and  receive  information,  *  it  is  only  necessary 
to  refer  you  to  the  endless  facts  in  proof,  furnished  by 
almost  every  page  of  my  letters  on  the  history  of  Ants 
and  of  the  Hive  Bee.  I  shall  therefore  but  detain  you 
for  a  moment  with  an  additional  anecdote  or  two, 
especially  with  one  respecting  the  former  tribe,  which 
is  valuable  from  the  celebrity  of  the  narrator.' 

The  first  of  these  anecdotes  refers  to  a  Beetle 
(Ateuchus  pilularius)  which,  having  made    for   tho 

•  Lor.  cit.  p.  205. 


HUBER,  KIRBY  AND   SPENCE. 


155 


reception  of  its  eggs  a  pellet  of  dung  too  heavy  for  it 
to  move, '  repaired  to  an  adjoining  heap  and  soon  re- 
tiuTied  with  three  of  his  companions.  All  four  now 
applied  their  united  strength  to  the  pellet,  and  at 
length  succeeded  in  pushing  it  out,  which  being  done, 
the  three  assistant  Beetles  left  the  spot  and  returned 
to  their  own  quarters.'  This  observation  rests  on  the 
authority  of  an  anonymous  German  artist ;  and  though 
we  are  assured  that  he  was  a  « man  of  strict  veracitv,' 
I  am  not  aware  that  any  similar  fact  has  been  recorded 
by  any  other  observer.  I  am  by  no  means  satisfied 
that  his  explanation  of  what  took  place  is  correct.  M. 
Fabre,'  in  his  interesting  observations,  places  the  facts 
in  a  very  different  light. 

The  second  case  is  related  by  Kalm,  on  the  authority 
of  Dr.  Franklin,  but  again  does  not  seem  to  me  to  justify 
the  conclusions  drawn  from  it  by  ^Messrs.  Kirby  and 
Spence.     Dr.  Franklin  having  found  a  number  of  ants 
in  a  jar  of  treacle,  shook  them  out  and  suspended  the 
jar  '  by  a  string  from  the  ceiling.     By  chance  one  ant 
remained,  which,  after  eating  its  fill,  with  some  diffi- 
culty found  its  way  up  the  string,  and,  thence  reaching 
the  ceiling,  escaped  by  the  wall  to  its  nest.     In  less 
than  half  an  hour  a  great  company  of  ants  sallied  out 
of  their   hole,  climbing  the  ceiling,  crept  along  the 
Ft  ring  into  the  pot  and  began  to  eat  again  ;  this  they 
continued    until    the   treacle   was   all    consumed,  one 
swarm  running  up  the    string  while   another   passed 

•  Sonrcnirs  Eniomologiques. 


156 


KIRBY  AND  SPENCE. 


down.  It  seems  indisputable  that  the  one  ant  had  in 
this  instance  conveyed  news  of  the  booty  to  his  com- 
rades, who  would  not  otherwise  have  at  once  directed 
their  steps  in  a  body  to  the  only  accessible  route.'  * 

Elsewhere,  Messrs.  Kirby  and  Spence  say :  ^ — '  If  you 
scatter  the  ruins  of  an  ants'  nest  in  your  apartment,  you 
will  be  furnished  with  another  proof  of  their  language. 
The  ants  will  take  a  thousand  different  paths,  each  going 
by  itself,  to  increase  the  chance  of  discovery ;  they  will 
meet  and  cross  each  other  in  all  directions,  and  perhaps 
will  wander  long  before  they  can  find  a  spot  convenient 
for  their  reunion.  No  sooner  does  any  one  discover  a 
little  chink  in  the  floor  through  which  it  can  pass 
below  than  it  returns  to  its  companions,  and,  by  means 
of  certain  motions  of  its  antennae,  makes  some  of  them 
comprehend  what  route  they  are  to  pursue  to  find  it, 
sometimes  even  accompanying  them  to  the  spot ; 
these,  in  their  turn,  become  the  guides  of  others,  till 
all  know  which  way  to  direct  their  steps.' 

Here,  however,  Messrs.  Kirby  and  Spence  do  not 
sufficiently  distinguish  between  the  cases  in  which  the 
ants  were  guided,  from  those  in  which  they  were  directed 
to  the  place  of  safety.  It  is  obvious,  however,  that  the 
power  of  communication  implied  in  the  latter  case  is 
much  greater  than  in  the  former. 

A  short  but  very  interesting  paper  by  Dujardin  on 
this  subject  is  contained  in  the  '  Annales  des  Sciences ' 
for  1852.     He  satisfied  himself  that  some  bees  which 


»  Loc.  cit.  p.  422. 


'  Introd.  to  Enttymoloyy,  vol.  ii  p.  6. 


DUJARDIN. 


157 


came  to  honey  put  out  by  him  for  the  purpose  'avaient  du 
recevoir  dans  la  ruche  un  avertissement  porte  par  quel- 
ques-unejj  de  celles  qui  etaient  venues  isolement,  soit  a 
desseiii,  soit  par   hasard.'     That  no  doubt  might   le- 
main,  he  tried  the  following  experiment,  which  he  says, 
'me    parait    tout-a-fait   concluante.     Dans    I'epaisseur 
d'un  mur  lateral  a  18  metres  de  distance  des  ruches  A 
et  B,  se  trouve  une  niche  pratiquee,  suivant  I'usage  du 
pays,  pour  constater  la  mitoyennete,  et  recouverte  par 
un  treillage  et  par  une  treille,  et  cachee  par  diverses 
plantes  grimpantes.     J'y  introduids,  le   16  novembre, 
une  soucoupe  avec  du  sucre  legerement  humecte ;  puis 
j'allai  presenter  une  petite  baguette  enduite  de  sirop  a 
une  abeille  sortant  de  la  ruche.     Cette  abeille  s'etant 
cramponnee  a  la  baguette  pour  sucer  le  siroj),  je  la 
transportai  dans  la  niche  sur  le  sucre,  ou  elle  resta  cinq 
ou  six  minutes  jusqu'a  ce  qu'elle  se  fut  bien  gorgee ; 
elle  commen^a  alors  a  voler  dans  la  niche,  puis  de^a  et 
dela  devant  le  treillage,  la  tete  toujours  toumee  vers  la 
niche,  et  enfin  elle  prit  son  vol  vers  la  ruche,  ou  elle 
rentra. 

*  Un  quart  d*heure  se  passa  sans  qu'il  revint  une 
seule  abeille  a  la  niche;  mais,  a  partir  de  cet  instant, 
elles  vinrent  successivement  au  nombre  de  trente,  ex- 
plomnt  la  localite,  cherchant  I'entree  de  la  niche  qui 
avait  du  leur  etre  indiquee,  et  ou  I'odorat  ne  pouvait 
nullement  les  guider,  et,  a  leur  tour  verifiant  avant  de 
retom  ner  a  la  ruche,  les  signes  qui  leiu-  feraient  re- 
trouver  cette  precieuse  localite  ou  qui    leur   permet- 


158 


FOREL. 


traient  de  Tindiquer  a  d'autres.  Tous  les  jours  suivaota 
leg  abeilles  de  la  ruche  A  vinrent  plus  nombreuses  a 
la  niche  ou  j'avais  soin  de  renouveler  le  sucre  bumecte, 
et  pas  une  seule  de  la  ruche  B  n'eut  le  moindre 
soup^on  de  Texistence  de  ce  tresor  et  ne  vint  volerdece 
cote.  II  etait  facile,  en  effet,  de  constater  que  les 
premieres  se  dirigeaient  exclusivement  de  la  ruche  a  la 
niche,  et  reciproquement.' 

It  is  of  course  clear  from  these  observations  that 
the  ants  and  bees  accompanied  their  fortunate  friends 
to  the  stores  of  food  which  they  had  discovered,  but 
this  really  does  not  in  itself  imply  the  possession  of  any 
great  intelligence. 

That  ants  and  bees  have  a  certain  power  of  com- 
munication cannot,  indeed,  be  doubted.  Several 
striking  cases  are  mentioned  by  ]>!.  Forel.  For  in- 
stance, on  one  occasion  an  army  of  Amazon  ants 
{Polyergus  rufescens)  was  making  an  expedition  to 
attack  a  nest  of  F,  rufiharhis.  They  were  not,  how- 
ever, quite  acquainted  with  the  locality.  At  length  it 
was  discovered  : — '  Aussitot,'  he  observes,  '  un  nouveau 
signal  fut  donne,  et  toutes  les  amazones  s'elanc^rent 
dans  cette  direction.'  On  another  occasion  he  says : — 
'  Je  mis  un  gros  tas  de  T.  cccspitum  d'une  variete  de 
grande  taille  a  un  decimetre  d'un  des  nids  d'une 
colonic  de  Pheidole  pallidula.  En  un  clin  d'ceil 
Talarme  fut  repandue,  et  des  centaines  de  Pheidole  se 
jef^rent  au-devant  de  I'ennemi.' 

The  species  of  Camponot us,  v>hen  alarmed, 'nou 


FOREL. 


159 


eeulement  se  frappent  vivement  et  a  coups  repetes  les 
uns  les  autres,  mais  en  meme  temps  ils  frappent  le  sol 
deux  ou  trois  fois  de  suite  avec  leur  abdomen,  et 
repetent  cet  acte  a  de  courts  intervalles,  ce  qui  pro- 
duit  un  bruit  tres  marque  qu'on  entend  ^urtout  bien 
lorsque  le  nid  est  dans  un  tronc  d'aTbre.'  ^ 

It  would  even  seem,  according  to  M.  Forel,  that 
some  species  understand  the  signs  of  others.  Thus 
F,  sanguinea,  he  says,^  is  able  to  seize  « I'instant  oij 
les  pratensis  se  communiquent  le  signal  de  la  deroute, 
et  elles  savent  s'apprendre  cette  decouverte  les  unes 
aux  autres  avec  une  rapidite  incroyable.  Au  moment 
meme  ou  Ton  voit  les  pratensis  se  jeter  les  unes  contre 
les  autres  en  se  frappant  de  quelques  coups  rapides, 
puis  cesser  toute  resistance  et  s'enfuir  en  masse,  on 
voit  aussi  les  sanguinea  se  jeter  tout-a-coup  au  milieu 
d'elles  sans  la  plus  petite  retenue,  mordant  a  droite  et  a 
gauche  comme  des  Polyergus,  et  arrachant  des  cocons 
de  toutes  les  pratensis  qui  en  portent.' 

M.  Forel  is  of  opinion  (p.  364)  that  the  different 
species  differ  much  in  their  power  of  communicating 
with  one  another.  Thus,  though  Polyergus  rufescens 
is  rather  smaller  than  F,  sanguinea,  it  is  generally 
victorious,  because  the  ants  of  this  species  understand 
one  another  more  quickly  than  those  of  F.  sanguinea. 

These  statements  are  extremely  interesting,  and 
certainly  appear  to  iinply  considerable  intelligence. 
If,  however,  his  inferences  are  correct,  and  the  social 

'  Loc.  cit.  p.  355.  *  Loc.  cit.  p.  359. 


160 


CONDITIONS   OF  THE  PROBLEM 


Hymenoptera  are  really  so  highly  gifted,  it  ought 
not  to  be  necessary  for  us  to  rely  on  accidental  observa- 
tions ;  we  ought  to  be  able  to  test  them  by  approprialij 
experiments. 

Those  which  I  have  made  with  reference  to  bees 
will  be  described  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

Every  one  knows  that  if  an  ant  or  a  bee  in  the  course 
of  her  rambles  has  found  a  supply  of  food,  a  number  of 
others  will  soon  make  their  way  to  the  store.  This, 
however,  does  not  necessarily  imply  any  power  of  de- 
scribing localities.  A  very  simple  sign  would  suffice, 
and  very  little  intelligence  is  implied,  if  the  other  ants 
merely  accompany  their  friend  to  the  treasure  which  she 
has  discovered.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  ant  or  bee 
can  describe  the  locality,  and  send  her  friends  to  the 
food,  the  case  is  very  ditferent.  This  point,  therefore, 
seemed  to  me  very  important ;  and  I  have  made  a 
number  of  observations  bearing  on  it. 

The  following  may  be  taken  as  a  type  of  what  hap- 
pens under  such  circumstances.  On  June  12,  1874,  I 
put  a  Lasius  niger,  belonging  to  a  nest  which  I  had 
kept  two  or  three  days  without  food,  to  some  honey. 
She  fed  as  usual,  and  then  was  returning  to  the  nest, 
when  she  met  some  friends,  whom  she  proceeded  to 
feed.  When  she  had  thus  distributed  her  stores,  she 
returned  alone  to  the  honey,  none  of  tlie  rest  coming 
with  her.  When  she  had  a  second  time  laid  in  a  stock 
of  food,  she  again  in  the  same  way  fed  seveial  ants  on 
her  way  towards  the  nest ;  but  this  time  five  of  those 


BOME  SPECIES  MORE  COMMUNICATIVE  THAN  OTHERS.  1  61 

BO  fed  returned  with  her  to  the  honey.  In  due  course 
these  five  would  no  doubt  have  brought  others,  and  so 
the  number  at  the  honey  would  have  increased. 

Some  species,  however,  act  much  more  in  association 
than  others — Lasius  7iiger,  for  instance,  much  more 
than  Formica  fusca. 

In  March  1877  I  was  staying  at  Arcachon.  It  was 
a  beautiful  and  very  warm  spring  day,  and  numerous 
specimens  of  Formica  fusca  (PL  I,  fig.  3)  were 
coursing  about  on  the  flagstones  in  front  of  our 
hotel.  At  about  10.45  a.m.  I  put  a  raisin  down  before 
one  of  them.  She  immediately  began  licking  it, 
and  continued  till  11.2  a.m.,  when  she  went  off 
almost  straight  to  her  nest,  the  entrance  to  which  was 
about  twelve  feet  away.  In  a  few  minutes  she  came 
out  again,  and  reached  the  fruit,  after  a  few  wander- 
in  jrs,  at  about  11.18  A.M.  She  fed  till  11.30  a.m., 
when  she  returned  once  more  to  the  nest. 

At  1 1 .45  another  ant  accidentally  found  the  fruit. 
I  imprisoned  her. 

At  11.50  the  first  returned,  and  fed  till  11.5G,  when 
she  went  off  to  the  nest.  On  the  way  she  met  and 
talked  with  three  ants,  none  of  whom,  however,  came 
to  the  fruit.     At  12.7  she  returned,  again  alone,  to  the 

fruit. 

On  the  following  day  I  repeated  the  same  experi- 
ment. The  first  ant  went  backwards  and  foi-wards 
between  the  raisin  and  the  nest  for  several  hours,  but 
only  six  others  found  their  way  to  it. 


st'jiifei.ufcj:,  >j  - 


ztj  ft\Jijiei 


E^^^^ES^^^S^^^*1p5ff?W^,g*'SS5*^^^*^Wf'' 


162 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  FORMICA  FUSCi 


The  details  of  this  observation  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix. 

Again,  on  July  11,  187^,  I  put  out  some  pupje  in  a 
«aucer,  and  at  5,55  p.m.  they  were  found  by  a  F.  fusca, 
who  a?  usual  carried  one  off  to  the  nest. 

At  6     P.M.  she  returned  and  took  another.     Again 


6.  1 

6.  3 

6.  4 

6.  5 

6.  6 

6.  7 

G.  8 

6.  9 

6.10 

6.11 

6.12 

6.14 

6.15 

6.16 

6.17 

6.19 

6.20 

6.21 

6.23 

6.25 

6.27 

6.29 

6.30 


n 

n 

»> 

n 

n 

n 

n 

9* 

» 

99 

99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


5) 


J? 


99 

99 

99 

»9 

99 

99 

9» 

» 

99 

99 

9» 

» 

» 

99 

n 

99 


^,^^^Sm* 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  MYRMICA  AND   LASIl/S.    163 

At  6.31  P.M.  she  returned  and  took  another.    Again 
6.33 


6.35 
6.36 
6.37 
6.38 
6.40 
6.41 
6.45 
6.47 
6.49 
6.50 
6.51 
6.52 
6.53 
6.55 
6.56 
6.57 
7.  0 
7.  1 
7.  2 
7.  6 


99 


99 


59 


9J 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


9> 


55 


55 


59 


59 


99 


95 


95 


95 


55 


95 


95 


55 


99 


95 


55 


95 


99 


59 


59 


99 


95 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


95 


95 


After  these  45  visits,  she  came  no  more  till  8  P.M. ; 
but  when  I  returned  at  10  P.M.  I  found  all  the  pupae 
gone.  During  the  time  she  was  watched,  however,  she 
brought  no  other  ant  to  assist. 

I  also  made  similar  experiments  with  Myrmica 
ruglnodia  and  Lasius  niger,  imprisoning  (as  before) 
all  ants  that  came,  except  the  marked  ones,  and  with 


164 


EXPERIMENTS   TO   TEST 


ft 


M^ 


!!l'lll 


IB, 


similar  results.  The  details  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix,  but  need  not  be  given  in  full  here. 
I  then  tried  the  following  experiment: — 
In  figure  3,  A  is  the  ants'  nest,  o  the  door  of 
the  nest.  M  is  the  section  of  a  pole  on  which  the 
p.  g  whole  apparatus  is  supported,  n  is  a 
board  2  feet  long;  c,  D,  E,  and  F  are  slips 
of  glass  connected  with  the  board  B  by 
narrow  strips  of  paper  G,  ii,  i.  k  is  a 
movable  strip  of  paper,  IJ  inch  long, 
connecting  the  glass  F  with  the  strip  H  ; 
and  L  is  another  movable  strip  of  paper, 
as  nearly  as  possible  similar,  connecting 
H  and  I.  On  each  of  the  slips  of  glass  c 
and  F  I  put  several  hundred  larvae  of  L, 
flavus.  The  object  of  the  larvae  on  c  was 
to  ascertain  whether,  under  such  circuni- 
*  stances,  other  ants  would  find  the  larvae  acci- 
Ji  dentally ;  and  I  may  say  at  once  that  none 
*  did  so.  I  then  put  an  ant  (a),  whom  I 
had  imprisoned  overnight,  to  the  larva?  on  F.  She 
took  one,  and,  knowing  her  way,  went  straight  home 
over  the  bridge  K  and  down  the  strip  n.  Now  it 
is  obvious  that  by  always  causing  the  miuked  ant 
(a)  to  cross  the  bridge  K  on  a  particular  piece  of 
paper,  and  if  at  other  times  the  papers  K  and  L  were 
reversed,  I  should  be  able  to  ascertain  whether  other 
ants  who  came  to  the  larva)  had  had  the  direction 
and  position  explained  to  them  ;  oi  whether,  having  only 


'^ 


^ 


S        O 


POWERS   OF  COMMUNICATION. 


163 


been  informed  by  a  of  the  existence  of  the  larvae,  they 
found  their  way  to  them  by  tracking  a's  footsteps.  If  the. 
former,  they  would  in  any  case  pass  over  the  bridge  K 
by  whichever  strip  of  paper  it  was  constituted.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  they  found  the  larvae  by  tracking, 
then  as  the  piece  of  paper  by  which  A  passed  was 
transferred  to  L,  it  would  mislead  them  and  carry  them 
away  from  the  larvae  to  I.  In  every  case,  then,  I  trans- 
posed the  two  papers  forming  the  little  bridges  as 
soon  as  the  ant  A  had  crossed  over  K  and  L. 

I  put  her  (November  7,  1875)  to  the  larvae  on  F 
at  6.15  A.M.  After  examining  them  carefully,  she  re- 
turned to  the  nest  at  6.34.  No  other  ants  were  out ; 
but  she  at  once  reappeared  with  four  friends  and 
reached  the  larvae  at  6.38.  None  of  her  friends,  how- 
ever, crossed  the  bridge ;  they  went  on  to  D,  wandered 
about,  and  returned  home.  A  returned  to  the  larvae  at 
6.47,  this  time  with  one  friend,  who  also  went  on  to  D 
and  returned  without  finding  the  larvae. 


7.  0.  Ant  A  to  larvae. 
7.  8 


7.17 
7.25 
7.32 

7.39 


5> 


?? 


5» 


?! 


>5 


An  ant  at  7.1i" 


[went  over 
I      L  to  I. 


7.27 


with  a  friend,  who  at  7.21 
(with  two  friends, 
I    one  of  whom  at 

the  other  at  7.35 

with  a  friend  who 

went  on  to  D,  and  \     '^•'^^ 
(then  at 


l^t«»  a^nw-^  t  **« 


-wMOU^^        -^A>K  —■ *—"'"^r^--[M-" 


■  SiSiiaAaaSStl*SltlfWaei^AATIS>,ii^;:ha:mlv'K^--  • 


.i'ajtj  yiiagM»j*I.^..B»a«A»raii 


166 


EXPERIMENTS  TO  TEST 


POWERS  OF  COMxMUNICATION. 


167 


7.46  Ant  A 

to  larvae. 

An  ant  at  7.42 

went  over                    ■ 
L  to  I.                       flS 

^.SS 

j> 

99 

7.47 

] 

8.  3 

55 

55 

7.48 

1 

8.  8 

55 

55 

7.54 

1 

8.19 

99 

M 

7.57 

1 

8.24 

55 

» 

9.10 

found    the                    UL 
larvne.                          | 

8.39 

» 

» 

9.30 

wrent  over  L                    H 
to  I.                            ■ 

8.50 

9.12 

9.22 

9.40 

9.47 

9.55 

10.35 

At  10.35  I  imprisoned  her  till  12.30,  when  I  put  he> 
again  to  the  larvae. 

12.48  back  to  larvae. 

12.55  „  An  ant  at  12.58  went  over  L  to  i. 

1.  0  „  „  1.  1 

1.15  „  „  1.10 

1.20  „  „  1.13 


55 

55 

55 

55 

J5 

55 

After  this  she  did  not  come  any  more.  During  the 
time  she  made,  therefore,  25  visits  to  the  larvae;  21 
other  ants  came  a  distance  of  nearly  4  feet  from  the 
nest  and  up  to  the  point  of  junction  witliin  2  inches  of 


the  larvae  ;  but  only  one  passed  over  the  little  bridge  to 
the  larvae,  while  15  went  over  the  bridge  L  to  I.  On 
repeating  this  experiment  with  another  marked  ant,  she 
herself  made  40  journeys,  during  which  19  other  ants 
found  their  way  to  the  point  of  junction.  Only  2  went 
over  the  little  bridge  to  the  larvae,  8  went  over  L  to  I, 
and  the  remainder  on  to  D. 

In  another  similar  experiment  the  marked  ant  made 
10'  journeys;  and  during  the  same  time  13  other  ants 
came  to  the  point  of  junction.  Of  these  13,  6  went 
on  to  D,  7  crossed  over  L  to  i,  and  not  one  found  the 
larvae.  Thus  altogether,  out  of  92  ants,  30  went  on  to 
D,  51  crossed  over  in  tlie  wrong  direction  to  l,  and  only 
11  found  their  way  to  the  larvae. 

From  January  2  to  January  24  (1875)  I  made  a 
series  of  similar  observations;  and  during  this  time  56 
ants  came  in  all.  Of  these,  20  went  straight  on  to 
D,  26  across-  the  paper  to  I,  and  only 
10  to  the  larvae. 

This,  I  think,  gives  strong  reason  to 
conclude  that,  under  such  circumstances, 
ants  track  one  another  by  scent. 

I  then  slightly  altered  the  armnge- 
ment  of  the  papers  as  shown  in  tlie 
accompanying  diagram  (fig.  4).  A,  as 
before,  is  the  nest,  o  being  the  door. 
B  is  the  board  ;  /t  is  a  glass  on  which 
are  placed  the  larvic ;  m  is  a  similar  glass,  but  empty  j 
n  a  strip  of  paper:  to  the  end  of  n  arc  pinned  l^o 


Fig.  4. 
A 


B 


0 

(:) 

- 

- 

- — ■ ■ 

n 

V 

n 


■^^d^ii^l 


168 


EXPERIMENTS  TO  TEST 


POWERS   OF  COMMUNICATION. 


189 


other  strips  /  and  g,  in  such  a  manner  that  thej  can  be 
freely  turned  round,  so  that  each  can  be  turned  at  will 
either  to  h  or  m.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  the 
paper/,  as  in  the  figure,  was  turned  to  the  larvae  ;  but 
whenever  any  ant,  excepting  the  marked  one,  came,  I 
turned  the  papers,  so  that  /  led  to  m  and  g  to  h.  The 
result  was  striking,  and  I  give  the  observation  in  full 
in  the  Appendix.  In  all,  17  ants  came,  every  one  of 
whom  took  the  wrong  turn  and  went  to  m. 

Although  the  observations  above  recorded  seem  to 
Fig.  5.  me  almost  conclusive,  still  I  varied  the 

experiments  once  more  (see  fig.  5), 
making  the  connexion  between  the 
board  B  and  the  glass  containing  the 
larvae  by  three  separate  but  similar 
strips  of  paper,  d,  e,  and  /,  as  shown  in 
the  figure.  Whenever,  however,  a 
strange  ant  came,  1  took  up  the  strip/ 
and  rubbed  my  finger  over  it  two  or 
three  times  so  as  to  remove  any  scent,  and  then  re- 
placed it.  As  soon  as  the  stranger  had  reached  the 
paper  e,  I  took  up  the  strip  d,  and  placed  it  so  as  to 
connect  e  with  the  empty  glass  m.  Thus  I  escaped  the 
necessity  of  changing  the  paper/,  and  yet  had  a  scented 
bridge  between  e  and  m.  The  details,  as  before,  are 
given  in  the  Appendix. 

In  this  experiment  the  bridge  over  which  the 
marked  ant  passed  to  the  larvae  was  left  in  its  place, 
the  scent,  however,  being  removed  or  obscured  by  the 


CD. 


friction  of  my  finger  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  bridge  {d) 
had  retained  the  scent,  but  was  so  placed  as  to  lead 
away  from  the  larvae  ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that,  under 
these  circumstances,  out  of  41  ants  which  found  their 
waj  towards  the  larvae  as  far  as  e,  14  only  passed  over 
the  bridge  /to  the  larvae,  while  27  went  over  the 
bridge  d  to  the  empty  glass  m. 

Taking  these  observations  as  a  whole,  150  ants 
came  to  the  point  c,  of  which  21  only  went  on  to  the 
larvae,  while  95  went  away  to  the  empty  glass.  These 
experiments,  therefore,  seem  to  show  that  when  an 
ant  has  discovered  a  store  of  food  and  others  flock  to 
it,  they  are  guided  in  some  cases  by  sight,  while  in 
others  they  track  one  another  by  scent. 

I  then  varied  the  experiment  as  follows : — I  put  an 
ant  (L,  niger)  to  some  larvae  as  usual,  and  when  she  knew 
her  way,  I  allowed  her  to  go  home  on  her  own  legs  ;  but 
as  soon  as  she  emerged  from  the  nest,  if  she  had  any 
friends  with  her,  I  took  her  up  on  a  bit  of  paper  and 
carried  her  to  the  larvae.  Under  these  circumstances  very 
few  ants  indeed  found  their  way  to  them.  Thus,  on  June 
23,  1876,  at  5.30,  an  ant  which  had  been  previously 
under  observation  was  put  to  some  larvae.  She  took 
one  and  returned  as  usual  to  the  nest.  At  5.34  she 
L-anie  out  with  no  less  than  10  friends,  and  was  then 
transferred  to  the  larvae.  The  others  wandered  about  a 
little,  but  by  degrees  returned  to  the  nest,  not  one  of 
them  finding  their  way  to  the  larvae.  The  first  ant 
picked  up  a  larva,  returned,  and  again  came  out 
13 


-at; 


170 


EXPERIMENTS   TO  TEST 


of  the  nest  at  5.39  with  8  friends,  when  exactlj^ 
the  same  thing  happened.  She  again  came  out  with 
companions  at  the  undermentioned  times  : — 


Hour. 

Number  of 
Friends. 

Hour. 

Number  of 
Friends 

5.44 

4 

6.44 

5.47 

4 

6.46 

3 

5.49 

6.49 

2 

5.52 

G.5(j 

— 

5.54 

5 

6.59 

— 

5.57 

2 

7.  2 

2 

5.59 

2 

7.  4 

— 

6.  1 

5 

7.  6 

3 

6.  4 

1 

7.  8 

3 

6.  7 

7.10 

5 

6.11 

3 

7.13 

— 

6.14 

4 

7.17 

3 

6.17 

6 

7.19 

7 

6.20 

7.21 

5 

6.23 

5 

7.24 

— 

6.25 

6 

7.26 

3 

6.29 

8 

7.29 

1 

6.32 

2 

7.31 

2 

6.35 

— 

7.35 

— 

6.42 

4 

Thus  during  these  two  hours  more  than  120  ants 
came  out  of  the  nest  in  company  with  the  one  under 
observation.     She  knew  her  way  perfectly ;  and   it  is 


POWERS   OF   COMMUNICATION. 


171 


clear  that  if  she  had  been  left  alone,  all,  or  at  least 
most  of,  these  ants  would  have  accompanied  her  to  the 
store  of  larvse.  Three  of  them  were  accidentally 
allowed  to  do  so ;  but  of  the  remainder,  only  5  found 
their  way  to  the  larvae ;  all  the  others,  after  wandering 
about  a  while,  returned  hopelessly  to  the  nest. 

One  of  the  ants  which  I  employed  in  my  experi- 
ments was  under  observation  several  days.  I  was, 
however,  away  from  home  most  of  the  day,  and  when  I 
left  in  the  morning  and  went  to  bed  at  night  I  put  her 
in  a  bottle  ;  but  the  moment  she  was  let  out  she  began 
to  work  again.  On  one  occasion  I  was  away  for  a  week, 
and  on  my  return  I  let  her  out  of  the  bottle,  placing 
her  on  a  little  heap  of  larvae  about  3  feet  from  the 
nest.  Under  these  circumstances  I  certainly  did  not 
expect  her  to  return.  However,  though  she  had  thus 
been  six  days  in  confinement,  the  brave  little  creature 
immediately  picked  up  a  larva,  carried  it  off  to  the 
nest,  and,  after  half  an  hour's  rest,  returned  for  another. 

I  conclude,  then,  that  when  large  numbers  of  ants 
come  to  food  they  follow  one  another,  being  also  to  a 
certa,in  extent  guided  by  scent.  The  fact,  therefore, 
does  not  imply  any  considerable  power  of  intercom- 
munication. There  are,  moreover,  some  other  circum- 
stances which  seem  to  show  that  their  powers  in  this 
respect  are  but  limited.  For  instance,  I  have  already 
mentioned  that  if  a  colony  of  Poli/ergus  changes  the 
situation  of  its  nest,  the  mistresses  are  all  carried  to 
the  new  one  by  the  slaves.     Again,  if  a  number  of  F, 


^S^iMkSSmSMiSM. 


172 


EVIDENCE  OF   COMMUMICATION. 


EVIDENCE   OF   COMMUNICATION. 


173 


fusca  are  put  in  a  box,  and  in  one  corner  a  dark  plac« 
of  retreat  is  provided  for  them  with  some  earth,  one  soon 
finds  her  way  to  it.  She  then  comes  out  again,  and  going 
up  to  one  of  the  others,  takes  her  by  the  jaws.  The 
second  ant  then  rolls  herself  into  a  heap,  and  is  carried 
off  to  the  place  of  shelter.  They  then  both  repeat  the 
same  manoeuvre  with  other  ants,  and  so  on  until  all  their 
companions  are  collected  together.  Now  it  seems  to 
me  difficult  to  imagine  that  so  slow  a  course  would  be 
adopted  if  they  possessed  any  considerable  power  of 
descri2)tive  communication. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  can,  I  think,  be  no  doubt 
tha^  they  do  possess  some  power  of  the  kind. 

This  seems  to  me  clearly  shown  by  the  following 
observations.  In  order,  if  possible,  to  determine 
whether  the  ants  in  question  were  brought  to  the 
larvae,  or  whether  they  came  casually,  I  tried  (1875) 
the  following  experiments:  I  took  three  tapes,  each 
about  2  feet  6  inches  long,  and  arranged  them 
parallel  to  one  another  and  about  6  inches  apart. 
One  end  of  each  I  attached  to  one  of  my  nests 
(X.  niger\  and  at  the  other  end  I  placed  a  small 
glass.  In  the  glass  at  the  end  of  one  tape  I  placed  a 
considerable  number  (300  to  600)  of  larvae.  In  the 
second  I  put  two  or  three  larvtx  only ;  in  the  third 
none  at  all.  The  object  of  the  last  was  to  see  whether 
many  ants  would  come  to  the  glasses  under  such  cir- 
cumstances by  mere  accident ;  and  I  may  at  once  say 
that   but   few    did    so.      I  then    took    two   ants   and 


placed  one  of  them  to  the  glass  with  many  larvae,  the 
other  to  that  with  two  or  three.  Each  of  them  took  a 
larva  and  carried  it  to  the  nest,  returning  for  another, 
and  so  on.  After  each  journey  I  put  another  larva  in 
the  glass  with  only  two  or  three  larvae,  to  replace  that 
which  had  been  removed.  Now,  if  other  ants  came 
under  the  above  circumstances  as  a  mere  matter  of 
accident,  or  accompanying  one  another  by  chance,  or 
if  they  simply  saw  the  larvae  which  were  brought  and 
consequently  concluded  that  they  might  themselves 
also  find  larvae  in  the  same  place,  then  the  numbers 
going  to  the  two  glasses  ought  to  be  approximately 
equal.  In  each  case  the  number  of  journeys  made  by 
the  ants  would  be  nearly  the  same  ;  consequently,  if  it 
was  a  matter  of  scent,  the  two  glasses  would  be  in  the 
same  ^wsition.  It  would  be  impossible  for  an  ant, 
seeing  another  in  the  act  of  bringing  a  larva,  to  judge 
for  itself  whether  there  were  few  or  many  larvae  left 
behind.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  friends  were 
brought,  then  it  would  be  curious  to  see  whether  more 
were  brought  to  the  glass  with  many  larvae,  than  to 
that  which  only  contained  two  or  three.  I  should  also 
mention  that,  excepting,  of  course,  the  marked  speci- 
mens, every  ant  which  came  to  the  larvae  was  im- 
prisoned until  the  end  of  the  experiment.  I  give  the 
detiiils  in  the  Appendix. 

The  results  of  the  above  experiments  are  shown  at 
Q  glance  in  the  following  Table  : — 


■^aj 


^itiM.ji8a.-ij-  -i^.  -J- 


174 


EVIDENCE    OF  COMMUNICATION. 


Tabular  View  of  Experiments  on  Power  of  Communicatio>k 


Glass  with  many 

larrsB 

Glass  with  one  or  two  larra 

Obser- 
vations 

Time 

No.  of 

No.  of 

Time 

No.  of 

No.  of 

occupied 

journeys 

friends 

occupied 

journeys 

friends 

hours 

hours 

1 

1 

7 

11 

2 



1 

6 

0 

3 

2 

13 

8 

4 

— 

— 

3 

24 

5 

6 

3 

38 

22 

1 

10 

3 

« 

^ 

32 

19 

7 

1 

5 

16 

8 

u 

11 

21 

3 

23 

2 

9 

-— 

u 

7 

3 

10 

1 

15 

13 

2' 

21 

1 

11 

2 

32 

21) 

1 

11 

1 

12 

5 

26 

10 

13 

— 

5 

19 

1 

14 

— 

3 

20 

4 

15 

n 

41 

3 

2 

5 

0 

16 

1 

lu 

16 

2i 

10 

2 

17 

H 

53 

2 

45- 

40 

10 

18 

— 

— 

2 

20 

1 

19 

1 

11 

12 

20 

— 

— 

1 

6 

0 

21 

n 

20 

15 

H 

74 

27 

22 

— 

H 

25 

4 

23 

H 

71 

7 

24 

2 

35 

4 

25 

2 

34 

3 

26 

n 

35 

21 

2 

18 

0 

27 

2 

37 

9 

n 

15 

0 

28 

1^ 

9 

10 

2 

14 

0 

29 

2 

37 

5 

n 

25 

3 

30 

H 

9 

10 

2 

14 

0 

31 

2 

37 

5 

n 

25 

3 

32 

2 

24 

7 

1 

7 

0 

33 

H 

43 

17 

H 

26 

1 

34 

1 

27 

28 

1 

18 

12 

35 

1 

14 

2 

1 

15 

9 

52 

678 

304 

59^ 

545 

104 

It  must  be  admitted  that  this  mode  of  observing 


';--^«j^-v^*-<  "y> A(wi^  "-^ -fv^iT^ Jt4'"'^ji^y«*ej  ■'Vrti 


EVIDENCE  OF  COMxMUNICAXION. 


175 


is  calculated  to  increase  the  number  of  friends  brought 
by  the  ants  to  the  glass  with  only  2  or  3  larvae,  for 
several  reasons,  but  especially  because  in  many  cases 
an  ant  which  had  for  some  time  had  access  to  a  glass 
with  many  larvae  was  suddenly  deprived  of  it,  and  it 
might  well  be  that  some  time  elapsed  before  the 
change  was  discovered.  Some  stray  ants  would,  no 
doubt,  in  any  case  have  found  the  larvae ;  and  we 
may  probably  allow  for  about  25  under  this  head. 
Again,  some  would,  no  doubt,  casually  accompany  their 
friends ;  if  we  allow  25  also  in  this  respect,  we  must 
deduct  50  from  each  side,  and  we  shall  have  254 
against  54.  Nevertheless,  even  without  any  allowances, 
the  results  seem  to  me  very  definite.  Some  of  the 
individual  cases,  especially  perhaps  experiments  9,  10, 
20,  21,  and  22  (see  Appendix),  are  very  striking  ;  and, 
taken  as  a  whole,  during  52  hours,  the  ants  which  had 
access  to  a  glass  containing  numerous  larvae  brought  304 
friends ;  while  during  59  hours  those  which  were  visiting 
a  glass  with  only  2  or  3  larvae  brought  only  104  to 
their  assistance. 

One  case  of  apparent  communication  struck  me 
very  much.  I  had  had  an  ant  (L.  niger)  under  obser- 
vation one  day,  during  which  she  was  occupied  in 
carrying  off  larvae  to  her  nest.  At  night  I  imprisoned 
her  in  a  small  bottle  ;  in  the  morning  I  let  her  out  at 
6.15,  when  she  immediately  resumed  her  occupation. 
Having  to  go  to  London,  I  imprisoned  her  again  at 
9  o'clock.     When   I  returned  at  4.40,  I  put  her  again 


176 


EVIDENCE  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


.to  the  larvae.     She  examined  them  carefully,  but  went 
home  without  taking  one.     At  this  time  no  other  ants 
were  out  of  the  nest.     In  less  than  a  minute  she  came 
out  again  with  8  friends,  and  the  little  troop  made 
straight  for  the  heap  of  larva?.     When  they  had  gone 
two-thirds  of  the  way,  I  again  imprisoned  the  marked 
ants ;  the  others  hesitated  a  few  moments,  and  then, 
with   curious  quickness,   returned   home.     At  5.15    1 
put  her  again  to  the  larva?.     She  again  went  home 
without  a  larva,  but,  after  only  a  few  seconds'  stay  in 
the  nest,  came  out  with  no  less  than  13  friends.    They 
all  went  towards  the  larvae  ;  but  when  they  got  about 
two-thirds  of  the  way,  although  the  marked  ant  had 
on  the  previous  day  passed  over  the  ground  about  150 
times,  and  though  she  had  just  gone  straight  from 
the  larvae  to  the  nest,  she  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
her  way  and  wandered;  and  after  she  had  wandered 
about  for  half  an  hour,  I  put  her  to  the  larvae.     Now 
in  this  case  the  21  ants  must  have  been  brought  out 
by  my  marked  one ;  for  they  came  exactly  with  her, 
and  there  were  no  other  ants  out.     Moreover,  it  would 
seem  that  they  must  have  been  told,  because  (which 
is  very  curious  in  itself)  she  did  not  in  either  case 
bring  a  larva,  and   consequently  it  cannot   have  been 
the  mere  sight  of   a  larva   which   induced   them   to 
follow  her.     I  repeated  an  experiment  similar  to  thia 
more  than  once. 

For  instance,  one  rather  cold  day,  when  but  few 
diits  were  out,  I  selected  a  specimen  of  Atta  teataceo 


EXPERIMENT   WITH  AN   ATTA. 


177 


'pilosay  belonging  to  a  nest  which  I  had  brought  back 
witli  me  from  Algeria.     She  was  out  hunting  about 
six  feet  from  home,  and  I  placed  before  her  a  large 
dead  bluebottle  fly,  which  she  at  once  began  to  drag 
to  the  nest.     I  then  pinned  the  fly  to  a  piece  of  cork, 
in  a  small  box,  so  that  no  ant  could  see  the  fly  until 
she  had  climbed  up  the  side  of  the  box.     The  ant 
struggled,  of  course  in  vain,  to  move  the  fly.     She 
pulled  first  in  one  direction  and  then  in  another,  but, 
finding  her  efforts  fruitless,  she  at  length  started  off  back 
to  the  nest  empty-handed.     At  this  time  there  were 
no  ants  coming  out  of  the  nest.     Probably  there  were 
some  few  others  out  hunting,  but  for  at  least  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  no  ant  had  left  the  nest.     ]My  ant  entered 
the  nest,  but  did  not  remain  there  ;  in  less  than  a 
minute    she    emerged   accompanied   by    7  friends.     I 
never    saw    so  many  come  out  of  that  nest   together 
before.     In  her  excitement  the  first  ant  soon  distanced 
her  companions,  who  took  the  matter  with  much  more 
sang-froid,  and  had  all  the  appearance  of  having  come 
out  reluctantly,  or  as  if  they  had  been  asleep  and  were 
only  half  awake.     The  first  ant  ran  on  ahead,  gonig 
straight  to  the  fly.     The  others  followed  slowly  and 
with   many  meahderings  ;  so   slowly,  indeed,  that  for 
twenty  minutes  the  first  ant  was  alone  at   the   fly, 
trying  in  every  way  to  move  it.     Finding  this   still 
impossible,  she  again  returned  to  the  nest,  not  chancmg 
to  meet  any  of  her  friends  by  the  way.     Again  she 
emerged  in  less  than  a  minute  with  8  friends,  and 


i78 


EXPERIMENT   WITH  AN   ATTA. 


hurried  on  to  the  flj.     They  were  even  less  energetic 
than  the  first  party ;  and  when  they  found  they  had 
lost  sight  of  their  guide,  they  one  and  all  returned  to 
the  nest.     In  the  meantime  several  of  the  first  detach- 
ment had  found  the  fly,  and  one  of  them  succeeded  in 
detaching  a  leg,  with  which  she  returned  in  triumph 
to  the  nest,  coming  out  again  directly  with  4  or  5 
companions.     These  latter,  with  one  exception,  soon 
gave  up  the  chase  and  returned  to  the  nest.     I  do  not 
think  so  much  of  this  last  case,  because  as  the  ant 
carried  in  a  substantial  piece  of  booty  in  the  shape  of 
the  fly's  leg,  it  is  not  surprising  that  her  friends  should 
some  of   them  accompany   her   on    her   return ;    but 
surely  the  other  two  cases  indicate  a  distinct  power  of 
communication. 

Lest,  however,  it  should  be  supposed  that  the  resul* 
was  accidental,  I  determined  to  try  it  again.     Accord- 
ingly on  the  following  day  I  put  a  Mother  large  dead  fly 
before  an  ant  belonging  to  the  same  nest,  pinning  it 
to  a  piece  of  cork  as  before.     After  trying  in  vain  for 
ten  minutes  to  move  the  fly,  my  ant  started  off  home. 
At  that  time  I  could  only  see  two  other  ants  of  that 
species  outside  the  nest.     Yet  in  a  few  seconds,  con- 
siderably less  than  a  minute,  she  emerged  with  no  less 
than  12   friends.     As   in  the  previous  case,  she  ran 
on   ahead,  and    they  followed  very  slowly  and  by  no 
means  directly,  taking,  in  fact,  nearly  half  an  hour  to 
reach  the  fly.     The  first  ant,  after  vainly  labourinfr  for 
about  a  quailer  of  an  hour  io  move  the  fly,  started  oflf 


'-TW^*wi,V  "■'■'^n.  Fr^gi^a.      •"  •>  1"-- 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  AN   ATTA. 


17D 


again  to  the  nest.  Meeting  one  of  her  friends  on  the 
way  she  conversed  with  her  a  little,  then  continued 
towards  the  nest,  but,  after  going  about  a  foot,  changed 
her  mind,  and  returned  with  her  friend  to  the  fly. 
After  some  minutes,  during  which  two  or  three  other 
ants  came  up,  one  of  them  detached  a  leg,  which  she 
carried  off  to  the  nest,  coming  out  again  almost  immedi- 
ately with  six  friends,  one  of  whom,  curiously  enough, 
seemed  to  lead  the  way,  tracing  it,  I  presume,  by  scent. 
I  then  removed  the  pin,  and  they  carried  off  the  fly  in 
triumph. 

Again,  on  June  15,  1878,  another  ant  belonging  to 
the  same  nest  had  found  a  dead  spider,  about  the  same 
distance  from  the  nest.     I  pinned  down  the  spider  as 
before.     The  ant  did  all  in  her  power  to  move  it ;  but 
after  trying  for  twelve  minutes,  she  went  ofif  to  the  nest. 
Although  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  no  other  ant  had  left 
the  nest,  yet  in  a  few  seconds  she  came  out  again  with 
10  companions.   As  in  the  preceding  case,  they  followed 
very  leisurely.     She  ran  on  ahead  and  worked  at  the 
spider  for  ten  minutes ;  when,  as  none  of  her  friends 
had  arrived  to  her  assistance,  though  they  were  wan- 
dering  about,  evidently  in  search  of  something,  she 
started    back   home   again.      In   three  quarters   of  a 
minute  after  entering  the  nest  she  reappeared,   this 
time  with  15  friends,  who   came  on   somewhat  more 
rapidly  than   the   preceaing   batch,  though  still   but 
Flowly.     By  degrees,  however,  they  all  came  up,  and 
after  most  persevering   efforts  carried  off  the  spider 


.-  ^.-auaaaS-ij 


180 


EXPERIMENT   WITH   PHEIDOLE. 


piecemeal.  On  July  7,  I  tried  the  same  experiment 
with  a  soldier  of  Pheidole  megacephala.  She  pulled 
at  the  fly  for  no  less  than  fifty  minutes,  after  which  she 
went  to  the  nest  and  brought  five  friends  exactly  as 
the  Atta  had  done. 

In  the  same  way,  one  afternoon  at  6.20  I  presented 
a  slave  of  Polyergus  with  a  dead  fly  pinned  down. 
The  result  was  quite  different.  My  ant  pulled  at  the 
fly  for  twenty-five  minutes,  when,  as  in  the  previous 
cases,  she  returned  to  the  nest.  There  she  remained 
four  or  five  minutes,  and  then  came  out  again  alone, 
returned  to  the  fly,  and  again  tried  to  carry  it  off. 
After  working  fruitlessly  for  between  twenty  and  twenty- 
five  minutes,  she  again  went  back  to  the  nest,  staying 
there  four  or  five  minutes,  and  then  returning  by  her- 
self to  the  fly  once  more.  I  then  went  away  for  an 
hour,  but  on  my  return  found  her  still  tugging  at  the 
fly  by  herself.  One  hour  later  again  I  looked,  with  the 
same  result.  Shortly  afterwards  another  ant  wandering 
about  found  the  fly,  but  obviously,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
by  accident. 

At  3  o'clock  on  a  subsequent  day  I  again  put  a  dead 
fly  pinned  on  to  a  bit  of  cork  before  a  Foi-mica  fusca, 
which  was  out  hunting.  She  tried  in  vain  to  carry  it  off, 
ran  round  and  round,  tugged  in  every  direction,  and  at 
length  at  ten  minutes  to  four  she  returned  to  the  nest : 
very  soon  after  she  reappeared  preceded  by  one  and 
followed  by  two  friends ;  these,  however,  failed  to  dis- 
cover the  fly,  and  after  wandering  about  a  little  returned 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  FORMICA. 


181 


to  the  nest.  She  then  set  again  to  work  alone,  and  in 
about  forty  minutes  succeeded  in  cutting  off  the  head 
of  the  fly,  which  she  at  once  carried  into  the  nest.  In 
a  little  while  she  came  out  again,  this  time  accompanied 
by  five  friends,  all  of  whom  found  their  w^ay  to  the  fly ; 
one  of  these,  having  cut  off  the  abdomen  of  the  fly, 
took  it  into  the  nest,  leaving  three  of  her  companions 
to  bring  in  the  remainder  of  their  prey. 

These  experiments  certainly  seem  to  indicate  the 
possession  by  ants  of  something  approaching  to  lan- 
guage. It  is  impossible  to  doubt  that  the  friends  were 
brought  out  by  the  first  ant;  and  as  she  returned 
empty-handed  to  the  nest,  the  others  cannot  have  been 
induced  to  follow  her  merely  by  observing  her  proceed- 
ings. In  face  of  such  facts  as  these,  it  is  impossible 
not  to  ask  ourselves  how  far  are  ants  mere  exquisite 
automatons  ;  how  far  are  they  conscious  beings  ?  When 
we  see  an  ant-hill,  tenanted  by  thousands  of  industrious 
inhabitants,  excavating  chambers,  forming  tunnels, 
making  roads,  guarding  their  home,  gathering  food, 
feeding  the  young,  tending  their  domestic  animals, 
— each  one  fulfilling  its  duties  industriously,  and 
without  confusion, — it  is  difficult  altogether  to  deny 
to  them  the  gift  of  reason  ;  and  the  preceding  observa- 
tions tend  to  confirm  the  opinion  that  their  mental 
powers  differ  from  those  of  men,  not  so  much  in  kind 
tts  in  degree. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


ON   THE  SENSES   OF  ANTS. 


The  Sense  of  Vision. 

It  is,  I  think,  geDerally  assumed  not  only  that  the  world 
really  exists  as  we  see  it,  but  that  it  appears  to  other 
animals  pretty  much  as  it  does  to  us.  A  little  con- 
sideration, however,  is  sufficient  to  show  that  this  is 
very  far  from  being  certain,  or  even  probable. 

In  the  case  of  insects,  moreover,  the  mode  of  vision 
is  still  an  enigma.  They  have,  at  least  many  of  them 
have,  a  large  compound  eye  on  each  side  ;  and  ocelli, 
generally  three  in  number,  situated  on  the  summit  of 
the  head.  The  compound  eyes  consist  of  a  number  of 
facets,  each  situated  at  the  summit  of  a  tube,  to  the 
base  of  which  runs  a  fibre  of  the  optic  nerve. 

The  structure  of  the  ocellus  and  that  of  the  com- 
pound eye  are  essentially  different,  and  it  does  not  seem 
possible  that  either  the  ocellus  should  be  derived  from 
the  compound  eye,  or  the  compound  eye  from  the  ocel- 
lus. On  the  contrary,  both  seem  to  point  back  to 
e.  less  developed  ancestral  type.  Stiirting  from  such  an 
origin,  an  increase  of  the  separate  elements  and  an  im- 
provement  of  the  lens  would  lead  to  the  ocellus,  whilo 


TWO  KINDS  OF  EYES. 


183 


an  increase  of  the  number  of  eyes  would  bring  us  to 
the  compound  eye. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  admitted  that  there 
are  reasons  for  considering  the  different  kinds  of  eyes 
to  be  of  perfectly  distinct  origin.  The  eye  of  Limulus, 
according  to  Grenacher,  is  formed  on  a  plan  quite 
unlike  that  of  other  Crustacea.  Again,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  eye  in  Muscat  to  judge  from  Weismanu's 
observations,  is  very  dissimiliar  from  that  of  other 
insects.  The  varied  position  of  the  eye  in  different 
groups,  as,  for  instance,  in  Pecten,  Spondylus, 
Euphausia,  Onckidlum,  &c.,  point  to  the  same  con- 
clusion. 

It  seems  clear  that  the  image  produced  by  the 
ocelli  must  be  altogether  different  from  the  picture 
given  by  the  compound  eyes ;  and  we  may  therefore 
reasonably  conclude  that  the  two  organs  have  distinct 
functions.  It  used  formerly  to  be  supposed  that  the 
compound  eyes  were  intended  for  distant,  the  ocelli  for 
near  vision.  Claparede,  however,  has  maintained  the 
opposite  theory,  w^iile  Mr.  Lowne  regards  the  ocelli  as 
incapable  of  producing  '  anything  worthy  the  name  of 
an  image,'  and  suspects  that  their  function  '  is  the 
perception  of  the  intensity  in  the  direction  of  light, 
rather  than  vision.' 

The  ocelli,  or  simple  eyes,  probably  see  in  the  same 
manner  as  ours  do.  That  is  to  say,  the  lens  throws  an 
image  on  the  back  of  the  eye,  which  we  call  the  retina. 
In  that  case  they  would  see  everything  really  reversed. 


184 


HOW  INSECTS  SEE. 


as  we  do ;  though  long  practice  has  given  us  the  right 
impression.  The  simple  eye  of  insects  thus  resembles 
ours  in  this  respect. 

As  regards  the  mode  of  vision  of  the  compound  eyes, 
there  are  two  distinct  theories.  According  to  one— 
the  mosaic  theory  of  Muller— each  facet  takes  in  only 
a  small  portion  of  the  field  ;  while  according  to  the 
other,  each  facet  acts  as  a  separate  eye. 

This  latter  view  has  been  maintained  by  many  high 
authorities,  but  it  is  dithcult  to   understand  how  so 
many  images  could  be  combined  into  one  picture.   Some 
insects  have  more  than  20,000  facets  on  each  side  of 
their    head.      No  ants,  indeed,    have    so    many,  but 
in  some— as,  for  instance,  in  the  males  of  Formica 
pratensis  — there  are  not  less  than  1,000.    The  theory, 
moreover,  presents  some  great  anatomical  difficulties. 
Thus,  in  certain  cases  there  is  no   lens,  and    conse- 
quently there  can  be  no  image  ;  in  some  it  would  seem 
that  the  image  would  be  formed  completely  behind  the 
eye,  while  in  others  again  it  would  be  in  front  of  the 
receptive  surface.     Another  difficulty  is  that  any  true 
projection  of  an  image  would  in  certain  species  be  pre- 
cluded by  the  presence  of  impenetrable  pigment,  which 
only  leaves  a  minute  central  passage  for  the  light-rays. 
Again,  it  is  urged  that  even  the  sharpest  image  would 
be  useless,  from  the   absence  of  a  suitably  receptive 
surface;  since  the  structure  of  the  receptive  surface 
corresponding  to  each  facet  seems  to  preclude  it  from 
receiving  more  than  a  single  impression. 


THE  MOSAIC  THEORY. 


185 


The  prevailing  opinion  of  entomologists  now  is  that 
each  facet  receives  the  impression  of  one  pencil  of  rays  ; 
so  that,  in  fact,  the  image  formed  in  a  compound  eye 
is  a  sort  of  mosaic. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  theory  itself  presents 
great  difficulties.  Those  ants  which  have  very  few 
facets  must  have  an  extremely  imperfect  vision. 
Again,  while  the  image  produced  on  the  retina  of  the 
ocellus  must  of  course  be  reversed  as  in  our  own  eyes  ; 
in  the  compound  eyes,  on  the  contrary,  the  vision  would' 
on  this  theory,  be  direct.  That  the  same  animal  should 
see  some  things  directly,  and  others  reversed  ;  and  yet 
obtain  definite  conceptions  of  the  outer  world,  would 
certainly  be  very  remarkable. 

In  fact,  these,  so  far  fortunate,  insects  realise  the 
epigram  of  Plato — 

Thou  lookest  on  the  stars,  my  love 

Ah,  would  that  I  could  be 
Yon  starry  skies,  with  thousand  eyes 

That  1  might  look  on  thee  ! 

But  if  the  male  of  F.  pratensis  sees  1,000  queens 
at  once,  when  only  one  is  really  present,  this  would 
seem  to  be  a  bewildering  privilege,  and  the  prevailing 
opinion  among  entomologists  is,  as  already  mentioned, 
that  each  facet  only  t<akes  in  a  portion  of  the  object. 

But  while  it  is  difficult  to  understiiud  how  ants  see, 
U  is  clear  that  they  do  see 

PVom  the  observations  of  Sprengel  there  could  of 
14 


186 


LIMITS  OF  VISION. 


course  be  little,  if  any,  doubt,  that  bees  are  capable  of 
distinguishing  colours ;  and  I  have  proved  experi- 
mentally that  this  is  the  case.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, I  have  been  naturally  anxious  to  ascertain, 
if  possible,  whether  the  same  holds  good  with  ants. 
I  have,  however,  found  more  difficulty  in  doing  so 
because,  as  shown  in  the  observations  just  recorded, 
ants  find  their  food  so  much  more  by  smell  than  by 
sight. 

This  being  so,  I  could  not  apply  to  ants  those 
tests  which  had  been  used  in  the  case  of  bees. 
At  length,  however,  it  occurred  to  me  that  1 
might  utilize  the  dislike  which  ants,  when  in  their 
nests,  have  to  light.  Of  course  they  have  no  such 
feeling  when  they  are  out  in  search  of  food ;  but  if 
light  is  let  in  upon  their  nests,  they  at  once  hurry 
about  in  search  of  the  darkest  corners,  and  there  they 
all  congregate.  If,  for  instance,  I  uncovered  one  of 
my  nests  and  then  placed  an  opaque  substance  over  one 
portion,  the  ants  invariably  collected  in  the  shaded  part. 

I  procured,  therefore,  four  similar  strips  of  glass, 
coloured  respectively  green,  yellow,  red,  and  blue,  or, 
rather,  violet.  The  yellow  was  rather  paler  in  shade, 
and  that  glass  consequently  rather  more  transparent 
than  the  green,  which,  again,  was  rather  more  trans- 
parent than  the  red  or  violet.  I  also  procured  some 
coloured  solutions. 

Prof.  Dewar  was  kind  enough  to  test  my  glasses 
and  solutions  with  reference  to  their  power  of  trans- 


POWER  OF  DISTINGUISHING  COLOUES.  187 


mitting  colour.  Taking  the  wave-length  of  the  ex- 
treme visible  red  as  760  and  that  of  the  extreme 
violet  as  397,  we  have 

760  to  647  give  red. 


647  „  585 


>j 


585  „  575 


55 


575  „  497 
497  „  455 


55 


55 


55 


55 


J5 


orange, 

yellow. 

green. 

blue. 

violet. 


445  „  397 

The  result  of  his  examination  of  my  glasses  and 
solutions  was  as  follows  : — 

The  light-yellow  glass  cut  off  the  high  end  down 
to  wave-length  442. 

The  dark -yellow  glass  cut  off  the  high  end  down 
to  wave-length  493. 

The  green  glass  cut  off  the  high  end  down  to  wave- 
length 465,  and  also  the  red  to  616. 

The  red  glass  cut  off  the  high  end  down  to  wave- 
length 582. 

The  violet  glass  cut  off  the  orange  and  yellow  from 
wave-length  684  to  583,  and  a  band  between 
wave-lengths  543  and  516. 

The  purple  glass  cut  off  the  high  end  down  to 
wave-length  528. 

The  solution  of  chromate  of  potash  cut  off  the 
high  end  to  507. 

The  saffron  cut  off  the  high  end  to  about  473. 

The  blue  fluid  cut  off  the  low  end  to  516. 

The  red  fluid  cut  off  the  high  end  to  596. 


K-aKrs^r^p*wt,0t»4iri»'m  flUiS' 


188        EXPERIMENTS  WITH   COLOURED   GLASSES. 

I  then  (July  15,  1876)  laid  the  strips  of  glass  on 
one  of  my  nests  of  Formica  fusca,  containing  about 
170  ants.  These  ants,  as  I  knew  by  many  pre  nous 
observations,  seek  darkness,  at  least  when  in  the  nest, 
and  would  collect  in  the  darkest  part.  I  then,  after 
counting  the  ants  under  each  strip,  moved  the  glasses, 
at  intervals  of  about  half  an  hour,  so  that  each  should 
by  turns  cover  the  same  portion  of  the  nest.  The 
results  were  as  follows — the  numbers  indicating  the 
approximate  numbers  of  ants  under  each  glass  (there 
were  sometimes  a  few  not  under  any  of  the  strips  of 
glass) : — 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH   COLOURED   GLASSES.         189 


1. 

Green. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

Violet. 

50 

40 

80 

0 

2. 

Violet. 

Green. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

0 

20 

40 

100 

3. 

Ked. 

Violet. 

Green. 

Yellow 

60 

0 

50 

50 

4. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

Violet. 

Green. 

50 

70 

1 

40 

5. 

Green. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

Violet. 

30 

30 

100 

0 

6. 

Violet. 

Green. 

Yellow, 

Red. 

0 

14 

5 

140 

7. 

Red. 

Violet. 

Green. 

Yellow 

50 

0 

40 

70 

8. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

Violet. 

Green. 

40 

50 

1 

70 

fe 


9. 

Green. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

Violet. 

60 

35 

€5 

0 

10. 

Violet. 

Green. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

1 

50 

40 

70 

11. 

Red. 

Violet. 

Green. 

Yellow 

50 

2 

50 

60 

12. 

Yellow. 

Red. 

Violet. 

Green. 

35 

55 

0 

70 

Adding  these  numbers  together,  there  were,  in  the 
twelve  observations,  under  the  red  890,  under  the 
green  544,  under  the  yellow  495,  and  under  the  violet 
only  5.  The  difference  between  the  red  and  the  green 
is  very  striking,  and  would  doubtless  have  been  more 
so,  but  for  the  fact  that  when  the  colours  were  trans- 
I>osed  the  ants  which  had  collected  under  the  red 
sometimes  remained  quiet,  as,  for  instance,  in  cases 
7  and  8.  Again,  the  difference  between  the  green  and 
yellow  would  have  been  still  more  marked  but  for  the 
fact  that  the  yellow  always  occupied  the  position  last 
held  by  the  red,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ^rreen 
had  some  advantage  in  coming  next  the  violet.  In 
considering  the  difiference  between  the  yellow  and 
green,  we  must  remember  also  that  the  green  was 
decidedly  more  opaque  than  the  yellow. 

The  case  of  the  violet  glass  is  more  marked  and 
more  interesting.  To  our  eyes  the  violet  was  as  opaque 
as  the  red,  more  so  than  the  green,  and  much  more  so 
than  the  yellow.     Yet,  as  the  numbers  show,  the  ants 


1 


190        EXPERIMENTS  WITH   COLOURED   GLASSES. 

had  scarcely  any  tendency  to  congregate  under  it. 
There  were  nearly  as  many  under  the  same  area  of  fhe 
uncovered  portion  of  the  nest  as  under  that  shaded  b^ 
the  violet  glass. 

Lasiua  flavus  also  showed  a  marked  avoidance  of 

the  violet  glass. 

I  then  experimented  in  the  same  way  with  a  nest 
of  Formica  fitsca,  in  which  there  were  some  pupae, 
which  were  generally  collected  in  a  single  heap.  I 
used  glasses  coloured  dark  yellow,  dark  green,  light 
yellow,  light  green,  red,  violet,  and  dark  purple.  The 
coloiu-s  were  always  in  the  preceding  order,  but,  as 
before,  their  place  over  the  nest  was  changed  after 
every  observation. 

To  our  eyes  the  purple  was  almost  black,  the  violet 
and  dark  green  very  dark  and  quite  opaque ;  the  pupae 
could  be  dimly  seen  through  the  red,  rather  more 
clearly  through  the  dark  yellow  and  light  green,  while 
the  light  yellow  were  almost  transparent.  There  were 
about  50  pupae,  and  the  light  was  the  ordinary  diffused 
daylight  of  summer. 

These  observations  showed  a  marked  preference  for 
the  greens  and  yellows.  The  pnpne  were  6^  times 
under  dark  green,  3  under  dark  yellow,  3^  under  red, 
and  once  each  under  light  yellow  and  light  green,  the 
violet  and  purple  being  altogether  neglected. 

I  now  tried  the  same  ants  under  the  same  colours, 
but  in  the  sun ;  and  placed  a  shallow  dish  containing 
Bome  10  per  cent,  solution  of  alum    sometimes   over 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH  COLOURED   GLASSES. 


191 


^he  yellow,  sometimes  over  the  red.  I  also  put  foui 
thicknesses  of  violet  glass,  so  that  it  looked  almost 
black. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  pupae  were  placed 
under  the  red  7  times,  dark  yellow  5,  once  they 
were  half  under  each,  but  never  under  the  violet, 
purple,  light  yellow,  dark  or  light  green. 

The  following  day  I  placed  over  the  same  nest,  in 
the  sun,  dark  green  glass,  dark  red,  and  dark  yellow. 
In  nine  observations  the  pupae  were  carried  three  times 
under  the  red  and  nine  times  under  the  yellow. 

I  then  tried  a  similar  series  of  experiments  with 
Lasiua  niger,  using  a  nest  in  which  were  about 
40  pupae,  which  were  generally  collected  in  a  single 
heap  all  together.  As  before,  the  glasses  were  moved 
in  regular  order  after  each  experiment ;  and  I  arranged 
them  so  that  the  violet  followed  the  red.  As  far, 
therefore,  as  position  was  concerned,  this  gave  violet 
rather  the  best  place.  The  glasses  used  were  dark 
violet,  dark  red,  dark  green,  and  yellow,  the  yellow 
being  distinctly  the  most  transparent  to  our  eyes. 

Experiment  Experiment 


1. 

Pupae  under 

yellow. 

8. 

Papae  under 

■  green. 

2. 

9. 

red. 

3. 

10. 

yellow. 

4. 

11. 

red. 

5. 

12. 

yellow. 

6. 

1.3. 

n 

7. 

green. 

14. 

red. 

192        EXPERIMENTS  WITH   COLOURED  GLASSES. 


Kxperiment 

Experiment 

15. 

Pupae  under 

'  green. 

24. 

Pupa}  under  red. 

16. 

99 

25. 

>5 

yellow. 

17. 

yellow. 

26. 

5J 

red. 

18. 

n 

27. 

>J 

w 

19. 

red. 

28. 

)> 

» 

20. 

»j 

29. 

J> 

»> 

21. 

yellow. 

30. 

J) 

yellow. 

22. 

n 

31. 

» 

red. 

23. 

99 

32. 

J> 

green. 

I  now  put  two  extra  thicknesses  of  glass  over  the 
red  and  green. 


33.  Pupae  under  red. 

34.  „  yellow. 

35.  „  red. 

36.  „  yellow. 


37.  Pupae  under  red. 

38.  „  „ 

39.  „  yellow. 

40.  „  red. 


The  result  is  very  striking,  and  in  accordance  with 
the  observations  on  Formica  fasca.  In  40  experi- 
ments the  pupae  were  carried  under  the  yellow  19 
times,  under  the  red  16  times,  and  under  the  green  5 
times  only,  while  the  violet  was  quite  neglected. 
After  the  first  twenty  observations,  however,  I  removed 
it. 

I  then  tried  a  nest  of  Jremastogaster  scutellaris 
with  violet  glass,  purple  glass,  and  red,  yellow,  and 
green  solutions,  formed  respectively  with  fuchsine, 
bichromate  of  potash,  and  chloride  of  copper.  The 
purple  looked  almost  black,  the  violet  very  dark ;  the 


■:^^^SmM^Si,- 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH   COLOURED  GLASSES.         193 


red  and  green,  on  the  contrary,  very  transparent,  and 
the  yellow  even  more  so.  The  yellow  was  not  darker 
than  a  tincture  of  saffron.  The  latter  indeed,  to  mv 
eye,  scarcely  seemed  to  render  the  insects  under  them 
at  all  less  apparent ;  while  under  the  violet  and  purple 
I  could  not  trace  them  at  all.  I  altered  the  relative 
positions  as  before.  The  nest  contained  about  50 
larvae  and  pupae. 

I  made  thirteen  trials,  and  in  every  case  the  larvae 
and  pupae  were  brought  under  the  yellow  or  the  gieen 
— never  once  under  any  of  the  other  colours. 

Again,  over  a  nest  of  Formica  fitsca  containing 
about  20  pupae  I  placed  violet  glass,  purple  glass,  a 
weak  solution  of  fuchsine  (carmine),  the  same  of 
chloride  of  copper  (green),  and  of  bichromate  of  potash 
(yellow,  not  darker  than  saffron). 

I  made  eleven  trials,  and  again,  in  every  case  the 
pupae  were  brought  under  the  yellow  or  the  green. 

I  then  tried  a  nest  of  Lasius  Jlavus  with  the 
purple  glass,  violet  glass,  very  weak  bichromate  of 
potash,  and  chloride  of  copper  as  before. 

With  this  species,  again,  the  results  were  the  same 
as  in  the  previous  cases. 

In  all  these  experiments,  therefore,  the  violet  and 
purple  light  affected  the  ants  much  more  strongly  than 
the  yellow  and  green. 

It  is  curious  that  the  coloured  glasses  a2:)pear  to 
act  on  the  ants  (speaking  roughly)  as  they  would,  or, 


194 


DISLIKE  OF  VIOLET. 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH   COLOURED   SOLUTIONS.      195 


I   should  rather  say,  inversely   as  they  would,  on  a 
photographic  plate.     It  might  even  be  alleged  that  the 
avoidance  of  the  violet  glass  by  the  ants  was  due  to  their 
preferring  rays  transmitted  by  the  other  glasses.    From 
the  habits  of  these  insects  such  an  explanation  would  be 
very  improbable.     If,  however,  the  preference  for  the 
other  coloured  glasses  to  the  violet  was  due  to  the  trans- 
mission and  not  to  the  absoq^tion  of  rays — that  is  to 
say,  if  the  ants  went  under  the  green  rather  than  the 
violet  because  the  green  transmitted  rays  which  were 
agreeable  to  the  ants,  and  which  the  violet  glass,  on 
the  contrary,  stopped — then,  if  the  violet  was  placed 
over  the  other  colours,  they  would  become  as  distasteful 
to  the  ants  as  the  violet  itself.     On  the  contrary,  how- 
ever, whether  the  violet  glass  was  placed  over  the  others 
or  not,  the  ants  equally  readily  took  shelter  under  them. 
Obviously,  therefore,  the   ants  avoid  the  violet  glass 
because  they  dislike  the  rays  which  it  transmits. 

But  though  the  ants  so  markedly  avoided  the  violet 
glass,  still,  as  might  be  expected,  the  violet  glass  cer- 
tainly had  some  effect,  because  if  it  were  put  over  the 
nest  alone,  the  ants  preferred  being  under  it  to  being 
under  the  plain  glass  only. 

I  then  compared  the  violet  glass  with  a  solution 
ofammoDio-sulphate  of  copper,  which  is  very  similar  in 
colour,  though  perhaps  a  little  more  violet,  and  arrancred 
the  depth  of  the  fluid  so  as  to  make  it  as  nearly  as  f)Ci- 
rible  of  the  same  depth  of  colour  as  the  glass. 


▲pprox.  number 

of  Aiits           Exp.  1. 
under  the 
Gla-ss      ...     0 

Exp.  2. 
0 

Exp.  3. 
0 

Exp.  4. 

2 

Exp.  5. 

0 

Exp.  6. 

2 

Solution...  40 

80 

100 

80 

50 

70 

Exp.  7. 
Glass      ...     0 

E.tp.  8. 
2 

Exp.  9. 
3 

Exp.  10. 
0 

•  «  • 

Total 
9 

Solution...  60 

40 

90 

100 

•  •  • 

710 

In  another  experiment  with  Lasius  niger  I  used 
the  dark  yellow  glass,  dark  violet  glass,  and  a  violet 
solution  of  5  per  cent,  ammonio-sulphate  of  copper, 
diluted  so  as  to  be,  to  my  eye,  of  exactly  the  same  tint 
as  the  violet  glass ;  in  8  observations  the  pupas  were 
three  times  under  the  violet  solution,  and  5  times 
under  the  yellow  glass.  I  then  removed  the  yellow 
glass,  and  in  10  more  observations  the  pupae  were 
always  brought  under  the  solution. 

It  is  interesting  that  the  glass  and  the  solution 
should  affect  the  ants  so  differently,  because  to  my 
eye  the  two  were  almost  identical  in  colour.  The 
glass,  however,  was  more  transparent  than  the  solu- 
tion. 

To  see  whether  there  would  be  the  same  difference 
between  red  glass  and  red  solution  as  between  violet 
glass  and  violet  solution,  I  then  (Aug.  21)  put  over  a 
nest  of  Formica  fasca  a  red  glass  and  a  solution  of 
carmine,  as  nearly  as  I  could  make  it  of  the  same  tint. 
In  10  experiments,  however,  the  ants  were,  generally 
speaking,  some  under  the  solution  and  some  under 
the  glass,  in,  moreover,  as  nearly  as  possible  equal 
numbers. 

August  20. — Over  a  nest  of  Formica  fusca  con- 


agfc3t.iSilgtv  - 


196      EXPERIMENTS  WITH  COLOURED  SOLUTIONS. 

taining  20  pupge,  I  placed  a  saturated  solution  of 
bichromate  of  potash,  a  deep  solution  of  carmine,  which 
let  through  scarcely  any  but  the  red  rays,  and  a  white 
porcelain  plate. 

Obs. 
1.  Under  the  bichr.  of  potash  were  0  pupae,  carmine  18,  porcelain  2 


2. 

If 

II 

0 

6 

14 

3. 

t» 

*f 

6 

3 

1) 

4. 

*• 

tt 

0 

6 

18 

6. 

*t 

tt 

6 

4 

]() 

6. 

»» 

tt 

0 

19 

1 

7. 

tt 

M 

0 

0 

20 

8 

•» 

f» 

4 

15 

1 

9. 

w 

>* 

2 

4 

14 

10. 

(I 

tf 

0 

M 

4 

1<3 

11 

ft 

ff 

0 

*t 

3 

»f 

17 

Total 


18 


81 


124 


I  then  put  over  another  nest  of  Formica  fusca 
four  layers  of  red  glass  (which,  when  examined  with 
the  spectroscope,  let  through  red  light  only),  four 
layers  of  green  glass  (which,  examined  in  the  same 
way,  transmitted  nothing  but  a  very  little  green),  and  a 
porcelain  plate.  Under  these  circumstances  the  ants 
showed  no  marked  preference,  but  appeared  to  feel 
equally  protected,  whether  they  were  under  the  red 
glass,  the  green  glass,  or  the  porcelain. 

Thus,  though  it  appears  from  other  experiments 
that  ants  are  affected  by  red  light,  still  the  quantity 
that  passes  through  dark  red  glass  does  not  seem  greatly 
to  disturb  them.  I  tested  this  again  by  placing  over  a 
nest  containing  a  queen  and  about  10  pupa2  a  piece  of 


EXPERIMENTS  ON   A  QUEEN  ANT. 


197 


opaque  porcelain,  one  of  violet,  and  one  of  red  glass, 
al  of  the  same  size.     The  result  is  shown  below. 


Oba. 


1.  Queen  went  under  red  glass 


«  jpnpne  were  taken    qj     under 
^  i  under  red  glass     "  (  porcelain 


2. 

tt 

porcelain 

0 

i> 

7 

i» 

3. 

M 

red  glass 

0 

II 

7 

*. 

4. 

f» 

II 

6 

fl 

2 

f» 

6. 

f* 

ff 

6 

fl 

2 

»• 

6. 

f* 

If 

3 

fl 

7 

f» 

7. 

»» 

If 

10 

»» 

0 

♦f 

8. 

»f 

If 

4 

fl 

6 

w 

9. 

>f 

>> 

1 

I* 

0 

H 

10. 

ft 

porcelain 

0 

If 

10 

ff 

11. 

»» 

red  glass 

10 

ff 

0 

>f 

12. 

»f 

porcelain 

4 

ff 

6 

H 

13. 

»» 

red  glass 

7 

*i 

3 

f» 

14. 

»» 

porcelain 

4 

n 

6 

If 

15. 

f» 

red  glass 

4 

If 

6 

ff 

16. 

fl 

porcelain 

0 

If 

10 

fl 

17. 

II 

red  glass 

10 

ff 

0 

II 

18. 

ff 

»» 

8 

i» 

2 

ff 

19. 

II 

porcelain 

7 

ff 

3 

ff 

20. 

»l 

*f 

I 

ff 

9 

f» 

Total 


90 


88 


Obviously,  therefore,  the  ants  showed  no  marked 
preference  for  the  porcelain.  On  one,  but  only  on  one 
occasion  (Obs.  9),  most  of  the  pupae  were  carried  under 
the  violet  glass,  but  generally  it  was  quite  neglected. 

I  now  tried  a  similar  experiment  with  porcelain  and 
yellow  glass. 


ObB. 


1 .  Qu(?en  went  under  porcelain 


J,  jpu pas  were  taken    2J     under 
1     under  yellow.         I  porcelain 


S. 
% 


II 
♦» 


2 

8 


ff 


8 
2 


»» 
If 


198 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  SPECTRUM. 


LIMITS  OF  VISION. 


109 


Obf. 
4. 

6. 
«. 
7 

8. 
9. 

10 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 

17. 

18. 

19. 


Queen  went  under  yellow  glass  5  |  P^P^^jere  taken  ^  f    under 

•^  '     under  yellow        Iporcelaii 


M 
M 


porcelain 


>f 


n 


yellow  glass 
porcelain 


•» 


porcelain         3 

yellow  glass    8 

6 

0 

0 

5 

8 

3 

yellow  glass  10 

porcelain         0 

yellow  glass   10 

7 

10 

porcelain  1 

0 

98 


n 

H 


$ 

n 

•t 

♦♦ 

ft 

f* 

ft 

H 


8 
8 
6 
7 

10 
6 
2 
7 
0 

10 
0 
3 
0 
9 

10 

92 


M 
t» 
>t 

m 
f» 
t» 
»• 
f» 
ft 

H 
tt 
tt 
•• 
>* 


The  porcelain  and  yellow  glass  seemed,  therefore, 
to  affect  the  ants  almost  equally, 

I  then  put  two  ants  on  a  paper  bridge,  the  ends 
supported  by  pins,  the  bases  of  which  were  in  water. 
The  ants  wandered  backwards  and  forwards,  endea- 
vouring to  escape.  I  then  placed  the  bridge  in  the 
dark  and  threw  the  spectrum  on  it,  so  that  succes- 
sively the  red,  yellow,  green,  blue,  and  violet  fell  on  the 
bridge. 

The  ants,  however,  walked  backwards  and  forwards 
without  (perhaps  from  excitement)  taking  any  notice  of 
the  colour. 

I  then  allowed  some  ants  (Lasius  niger)  tc  find 
some  larvae,  to  which  they  obtained  access  over  a 
narrow  paper  bridge.     When  they  had  got  used  to  it, 


I  arranged  so  that  it  passed  through  a  dark  box,  and 
threw  on  it  the  principal  colours  of  the  spectrmn, 
namely,  red,  yellow,  green,  blue,  and  violet,  as  well  as 
the  ultra-red  and  ultra-violet;  but  the  ants  took  no 
notice. 

It  is  obvious  that  these  facts  suggest  a  number  of 
interesting  inferences.  I  must,  however,  repeat  the 
observations  and  make  others ;  but  we  may  at  least,  I 
think,  conclude  from  the  preceding  that: — (1)  ants 
have  the  power  of  distinguishing  colours  ;  (2)  that  they 
are  very  sensitive  to  violet ;  and  it  would  also  seem  (3) 
that  their  sensations  of  colour  must  be  very  different 
from  those  produced  upon  us. 

But  I  was  anxious  to  go  beyond  this,  and  to  attempt 
to  determine  how  far  their  limits  of  vision  are  the 
same  as  ours.  We  all  know  that  if  a  ray  of  white  light 
is  passed  throiigli  a  prism,  it  is  broken  up  into  a 
beautiful  band  of  colours — the  spectrum.  To  our  eyes 
this  spectrum  is  bounded  by  red  at  the  one  end  and 
violet  at  the  other,  the  edge  being  sharply  marked  at 
the  red  end,  but  less  abruptly  at  the  violet.  But  a  ray 
of  light  contains,  besides  the  rays  visible  to  our  eyes, 
others  whifli  are  called,  though  not  with  absolute 
correctness,  heat-rays  and  chemical  rays.  These,  so  far 
from  falling  within  the  limits  of  our  vision,  extend  fsr 
beyond  it,  the  heat- rays  at  the  red,  the  chemical  r.iys 
at  the  violet  end. 

I  have  tried  various  experiments  with  spectra 
derived  from  sunlight;  but,  owing  to  the  rotation  of 


t^r'^^ 


200      THE  ULTRA-RED   AND   ULTRA-VIOLET    RAYS. 

the  earth,  they  were  not  thoroughly  satisfactory.  Mr, 
Spottiswoode  was  also  good  enough  to  enable  me  to 
make  some  experiments  with  electric  light,  which  were 
not  very  conclusive ;  more  recently  I  have  made  some 
additional  and  much  more  complete  experiments, 
through  the  kindness  of  Prof.  Dewar,  Prof.  Tyndall, 
and  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Eoyal  Institution, 
to  whom  I  beg  to  offer  my  cordial  thanks. 

Of  coiu-se,  the  space  occupied  by  the  visible  sjx^c 
trum  is  well  marked  ofif  by  the  different  colours. 
Beyond  the  visible  spectrum,  however,  we  have  no 
such  convenient  landmarks,  and  it  is  not  enough  to 
describe  it  by  inches,  because  so  much  depends  on  the 
prisms  used.  If,  however,  paper  steeped  in  thalline  is 
placed  in  the  ultra-violet  portion  of  the  spectrum,  it 
gives,  with  rays  of  a  certain  wave-length,  a  distinctly 
visible  green  colour,  which  therefore  constitutes  a  green 
band,  and  gives  us  a  definite,  though  rough,  standard 
of  measurement. 

In  the  above  experiments  with  coloured  spectra, 
the  ants  carried  the  pupae  out  of  the  portion  of  the 
nest  on  which  coloured  light  was  thrown  and  deposited 
them  against  the  wall  of  the  nest;  or,  if  I  arranged  a 
nest  of  Formica  fusca  so  that  it  was  entirely  in  the 
light,  they  carried  them  to  one  side  or  into  one  comer. 
It  seemed  to  me,  therefore,  that  it  would  be  interesting 
60  to  arrange  matters,  that  on  quitting  the  spectrum,  after 
passing  through  a  dark  space,  the  ants  should  encounter 
not  a  solid  obstacle,  but  a  barrier  of  light.     With  this 


ii 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  ELECTRIC  LIGHT.  201 

object,  I  prepared  some  nests  12  inches  long  by  6  inches 
wide;  and  Mr.  Cottrell  kindly  arranged  for  me  at 
the  Royal  Institution  on  the  29th  of  June,  by  means  of 
the  electric  light,  two  spectra,  which  were  thrown  by  two 
glass  prisms  on  to  a  table  at  an  angle  of  about  45". 
Kach  occupied  about  6  inches  square,  and  there  was  a 
space  of  about  2  inches  between  them-that  is,  between 
the  red  end  of  the  one  and  the  violet  of  the  other 

Experiment  I.-In  one  of  the  spectra  I  placed  a  nest 
of  Formica  fusca,  12  inches  by  6,  containing  about 
1 50  pupfe,  and  arranged  it  so  that  one  end  was  distinctly 
beyond  the  limit  of  the  violet  visible  to  us,  and  all  but 
to  the  edge  of  the  green  given  by  thalline  paper,  and 
the  other  just  beyond  the  visible  red.  The  pup.-B  at  first 
were  almost  all  in  or  beyond  the  violet,  but  were  carried 
into  the  dark  space  between  the  two  spectra,  the  bright 
thalhne  band  being  avoided,  but  some  pupc  being 
deposited  in  the  red. 

Experiment  2. — I  thon  tnVrl  n,„  „ 
.        ^  -     ^  "'en  tried  the  same  expennient 

with  a  nest  of  Lasius  nhjer,  in  which  there  were  many 
larvae  as  well  as  pup.-e.  They  were  all  at  the  commence- 
ment at  the  blue  end  of  the  nearer  spectrum.  The 
larvae  were  left  by  themselves  in  the  violet,  while  pupa? 
were  ranged  from  the  end  of  the  green  to  that  of  the 
red  inclusive 

Experiment  3.-Arranged  a  nest  of  L.  niger  as 
before  ;  at  the  commencement  the  pu,«,  and  larvaj  were 
much  scattered,  being,  however,  less  numerous  in  the 
violet  and  ultiu-violet  mys.     Those  in  the  ultm-violet 

15 


202 


EXPEKIMENTS  WITH   FXECTRIC   LIGHT. 


rays  were  moved  first,  and  were  deposited,  the  larvse  in 
the  violet,  and  the  pupae  in  the  red. 

Experiment  4. — Made  the  same  experiment  with 
another  nest  of  L,  niger.  At  the  commencement  the 
larvae  and  pupae  were  in  the  violet  and  ultra-violet 
portion,  extending  to  double  the  distance  from  the 
visible  end  to  the  thalline  band.  The  ants  soon  began 
bringing  the  pupae  to  the  red.  Over  part  of  the  red  I 
placed  a  piece  of  money.  The  pupae  were  cleared  from 
the  ultra-violet  first.  That  the  pupae  were  not  put  in 
the  red  for  the  sake  of  the  red  light  was  evident, 
because  the  space  under  the  coin  was  even  more 
crowded  than  the  rest.  The  pupae  were  heaped  up  in 
the  dark  as  fiir  as  the  thalline  band  of  the  other  spec- 
trum. I  then  brought  the  second  spectrum  nearer  to 
the  first.  The  pupae  which  thus  came  to  be  in  the 
thalline  band  were  gradually  moved  into  the  dark. 

Experiment  5. — Tried  the  same  with  another  nest 
of  L.  7d(jer.  The  pupae  were  at  first  in  the  violet  and 
ultra-violet  about  double  as  far  as  the  thalline  line, 
while  most  of  the  larvae  were  in  the  green.  The 
farthest  part  was  cleared  first ;  and  they  were  ugain 
brought  principally  into  the  yellow,  red,  and  dark. 

Again,  1  scattered  them  pretty  equally,  some  being 
in  the  ultra-violet  portion,  as  far  as  double  the  distance 
c»f  the  thalline  from  tlie  violet ;  most,  however,  being 
in  the  violet  and  blue. 

The  ants  began  by  removing  the  pupae  which  were 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH   ELECTRIC  LIGHT.  203 

in  and  near  the  thalline  band,  and  carried  them  into 
the  yellow  or  red. 

Experiment  6. — Repeated  the  same  experiment. 
15<'gun  it  at  11.15.  Placed  some  pupae  in  the  red,  some 
in  the  yellow,  and  a  few  scattered  over  the  second 
spectrum ;  there  were  none  in  the  nearer  one. 

They  were  all  carried  away  from  the  red  past  the 
violet,  and  put  down  in  the  dark  portion,  or  in  the  red 
and  yellow,  of  the  nearer  spectrum. 

These  experiments  surprised  me  much  at  the  time, 
as  I  had  expected  all  the  pupae  to  be  carried  into  the  space 
between  the  two  spectra ;  but  it  afterwards  occurred  to 
me  that  the  ultra-violet  rays  probably  extended  further 
than  I  had  supposed,  so  that  even  the  part  which  lay 
beyond  the  thalline  band  contained  enough  rays  to 
appear  light  to  the  ants.  Hence  perhaps  they  selected 
the  red  and  yellow  as  a  lesser  evil. 

ExpeHment  7.— I  altered,  therefore,  the  arrange- 
ment. Prof.  Dewar  kindly  prepared  for  me  a  con- 
densed pure  spectrum  (showing  the  metallic  lines)  with 
a  Siemens'  machine,  using  glass  lenses  and  a  mirror  to 
give  a  perjjendicular  incidence  when  thrown  on  the 
nest.  I  arranged  the  pupae  again  in  the  ultra-violet 
as  far  as  the  edge  of  the  fluorescent  light  shown  with 
thalline  paper.  The  pupae  were  all  again  removed,  and 
most  of  them  placed  just  beyond  the  red,  but  none  in 
the  red  or  yellow. 

Experiment  8. — Arranged  the  light  as  before,  and 
placed  the  pupa?  in  the  ultra-violet  rays.     In  half  an 


204 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  ELECTRIC  LIGHT. 


hour  they  were  all  cleared  away  and  carried  into  the  dark 
space  beyond  the  red.  We  then  turned  the  nest  round 
so  that  the  part  occupied  l^y  the  pupoe  again  came  to  be 
in  the  violet  and  ultra-violet.  The  li^ht  chanced  to  be 
so  arranged  that  along  one  side  of  the  nest  was  a  line  of 
shadow ;  and  into  this  the  pupne  were  carried,  all  those 
in  the  ultra-violet  being  moved.  AVe  then  shifted  the 
nest  a  little,  so  that  the  violet  and  ultra-violet  fell  on 
some  of  the  pupge.  These  were  then  all  carried  into 
the  dark,  the  ones  in  the  ultra-violet  being  moved  lirst. 

In  these  experiments  with  the  vertical  incidence 
there  was  less  ditfused  light,  and  the  pupie  were  in  no 
case  carried  into  the  red  or  yellow. 

Experiment  9. — I  arranged  the  light  and  the  ants 
as  before,  placing  the  pup^e  in  the  ultra-violet,  some 
being  distinctly  beyond  the  bright  thalline  band.  The 
ants  at  once  began  to  remove  them.  At  first  many 
were  deposited  in  the  violet,  some,  however,  being  at 
once  carried  into  the  dark  beyond  the  red.  When  all 
had  been  removed  from  the  ultra-violet,  they  directed 
their  attention  to  those  in  the  violet,  some  being  carried, 
as  before,  into  the  dark,  some  into  the  red  and  yellow. 
Again,  when  those  in  the  violet  had  all  been  removed, 
they  began  on  the  pupie  in  the  red  and  yellow,  and 
carried  them  also  into  the  dark.  This  took  nearly  half 
an  hour.  As  I  had  arranged  the  pupae  so  that  it  might 
be  said  that  they  were  awkwardly  placed,  we  then 
turned  the  nest  round,  leaving  the  pupae  otherwise  as 
they  had  been  arranged  by  the  ants ;  but  the  result  of 


I 
I 


ANTS  NOT   SENSITIVE  TO   ULTRA-RED   RAYS.     205 

moving  the  nest  was  to  bring  some  of  them  into  the 
violet,  though  most  were  in  the  ultra-violet.  They 
were,  as  before,  all  carried  into  the  dark  space  beyond 
the  red  in  about  half  an  hour. 

W^e  then  turned  the  glass  round  again,  this  time 
arranging  the  end  about  the  length  of  the  spectrum 
beyond  the  end  of  the  violet  visible  to  our  eyes.  They 
began  clearing  the  thalline  band,  carrying  some  into 
the  violet,  but  the  majority  away  further  from  the 
spectrum.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  thalline  band 
had  been  quite  cleared  ;  ;uid  in  half  an  hour  a  band 
beyond,  and  equal  to  the  thalline  band,  those  in  the 
violet  being  left  untouched.  After  the  pupa?  in  the 
ultra-violet  portion  had  all  been  moved,  those  in  tlie 
violet  were  also  carried  away  and  deposited  about  twice 
as  far  from  the  edge  of  the  violet  as  the  further  echre 
of  the  bright  thalline  band. 

Experiment  10. — Experimented  again  with  the 
same  arrangement  as  before,  using  another  nest  of 
Liuius  niger  and  placing  the  pupa?  in  the  violet  and  a 
little  beyond.  The  ants  at  once  began  removing  them 
into  the  dark,  tunnelling  into  the  heap,  and  then  can'v- 
ing  away  those  in  the  ultra-violet  first,  althoucrh  thev 
were  further  off.  In  half  an  hour  they  had  all  been 
moved  out  of  the  violet  and  ultra-violet,  about  half 
being  placed  in  the  dark,  and  half  having  been  pro- 
visionally deposited  in  the  red  and  yellow. 

Experiment  11.— Same  arrangement  as  before. 
The  pupae  being  placed  all  along  one  side  of  the  nest. 


20G      ANTS   NOT   SENSITIVE  TO   ULTRA-RED  RAYS, 

from  the  edge  of  the  red  to  a  distance  beyond  the  violel 
as  great  as  the  whole  length  of  the  spectrum.  I  began 
at  4.15.  By  degrees  they  were  all  cleared  away  from  the 
spectrum,  except  those  in  the  violet,  where  indeed,  and 
immediately  outside  of  which,  the  others  were  placed. 
At  5,  however,  they  began  to  carry  them  back  into  the 
red.  At  5.45  the  blue  and  violet  were  nearly  cleared, 
the  pupoe  being  placed  in  the  red  and  yellow.  At  6.15 
they  had  all  been  brought  from  the  violet  and  ultra- 
violet into  the  red  and  yellow. 

I  then  shook  up  the  pupa>  so  that  they  were 
arranged  all  along  one  side  of  the  nest,  and  extended 
about  an  inch  beyond  the  red.  This  excited  the  ants 
very  much,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  all  those  in  *}ie 
spectrum,  and  for  about  6  inches  beyond  the  violet,  w^re 
moved,  but  at  first  they  were  put  down  anywhere,  so  tliat 
they  were  scattered  all  over  the  nest.  This,  however, 
lasted  for  a  very  short  time,  and  they  were  all  carrieil 
into  the  dark  beyond  the  red,  or  into  the  extreme  end 
at  some  distance  beyond  the  violet.  At  7  the  edge 
of  the  heap  of  pupae  followed  the  line  of  the  red  at  one 
end,  comirg  about  J  inch  within  it,  which  was  not 
owing  to  want  of  room,  as  one  side  of  the  nest  was 
almost  unoccupied ;  at  the  other  end  they  were  all 
carried  3  inches  beyond  the  end  of  the  violet. 

It  would  seem,  then,  as  the  result  of  these  ex})eri- 
ments,  that  the  limits  of  vision  of  ants  at  the  red 
end  of  the  spectrum  are  approximately  the  same 
as  ours,  that  they  are  not   sensitive  to  the  ultra-red 


BUT    VERY   SENSITIVE  TO   ULTRA-VIOLET  RAYS.   207 

rays  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  that  they  are  very  sen- 
sitive to  the  ultra-violet  rays,  which  our  eyes  cannot 
perceive. 

I  then  arranged  the  same  ants  in  a  wooden  frame 
consisting  of  a  base  and  two  side  walls,  between  which 
in  the  middle  was  a  perpendicular  sliding  door.  The 
pupae  had  been  arranged  by  the  ants  in  the  centre  of 
the  nest,  so  that  some  were  on  each  side  of  the  door. 
We  then  threw,  by  means  of  a  strong  induction-coil,  a 
magnesium-spark  on  the  nest  from  one  side,  and  the 
light  from  a  sodium-flame  in  a  Bunsen  burner  on  the 
other,  the  light  being  in  each  case  stopped  by  the  sliding 
door,  which  was  pressed  close  down  on  the  nest.  In  this 
way  the  first  half  was  illuminated  by  the  one  light,  the 
second  by  the  other,  the  apparatus  being  so  arranged 
that  the  lights  were  equal  to  our  eyes— that,  however, 
given  by  the  magnesium,  consisting  mainly  of  blue, 
violet,  and  ultra-violet  rays,  that  of  the  sodium  being 
very  yellow  and  poor  in  chemical  rays.  In  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  the  pupa3  were  all  carried  into  the  yellow. 
The  sodium  light  being  the  hotter  of  the  two,  to 
eliminate  the  action  of  heat  I  introduced  a  water-cell 
between  the  ants  and  the  sodium-flame,  and  made  the 
two  sides  as  nearly  as  possible  equally  light  to  my  eye. 
The  pupae,  however,  were  again  carried  into  the  sodium 
side. 

I  re[ieated  the  same  experiment  as  before,  getting 
the  magnesium-spark  and  the  sodium-flame  to  the  same 
degree  of  intensity,  as  nearly  as  my  eye  could  judge, 


208       EXPEKIMENTS  WITH  MAGNESIUM  SPAIiK 


and  interposing  a  water-screen  between  the  sodium- 
Haine  and  the  ants.  The  temperature  was  tested  by 
the  thermometer,  and  I  could  distinguish  no  difference 
between  the  two  sides.  Still  the  ants  preferred  the 
sodium  side.  This  I  repeated  twice.  I  then  removed 
the  magnesium-spark  somewhat,  so  that  the  illumina- 
tion on  that  side  was  very  much  fainter  than  on  the 
other;  still  the  pupae  were  carried  into  the  sodium- 
light.  I  then  turned  the  nest  round  so  as  to  bring 
them  back  into  the  magnesium.  They  were  again 
carried  to  the  sodium  side. 

Once  more  I  repeated  the  same  experiment.  The 
light  on  the  magnesium  side  was  so  faint  that  I  could 
scarcely  see  the  pupae,  those  on  the  sodium  side  being 
quite  plain.  The  thermometer  showed  no  difference 
between  the  two  sides.  The  \m\r,ii  were  carried  into 
the  sodium-light.  1  then  turned  the  nest  round  twice ; 
but  the  pupue  were  each  time  carried  out  of  the 
magnesium-light. 

These  experiments  seemed  strongly  to  indicate,  if 
not  to  prove,  that  ants  were  really  sensitive  to  tlie 
ultra-violet  rays.  Now  to  these  rays  sulphate  of 
quinine  and  bisulphide  of  carbon  are  extremely  opaque, 
though  perfectly  transparent  in  the  case  of  visible  rays, 
and  therefore  to  our  eyes  entirely  colourless  and  trans- 
paient.  If,  therefore,  the  ants  were  really  afft^cted  by 
the  ultra-violet  rays,  then  a  cell  containing  a  layer  of 
sulphate  of  quinine  or  bisulphide  of  carbon  wouLl  tend 
to  darken  the  underlying  space  to  their  eyes,  though 
to  ours  it  would  not  do  so. 


AND  SODIUM  FLAME. 


209 


It  will  be  remembered  that  if  an  opaque  substance  is 
placed  over  a  part  of  a  glass  nest,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  ants  always  congregate  under  it ;  and  that  if 
substances  of  different  opacity  are  placed  on  different 
parts  of  a  nest,  they  collect  under  that  which  seems  to 
them  most  opatjue.  Over  one  of  my  nests  of  Formica 
fusca,  therefore,  I  placed  two  pieces  of  dark- violet  glass 
4  inches  by  2  inches ;  and  over  one  of  them  I  placed  a 
cell  containing  a  layer  of  bisulphide  of  carbon,  an  inch 
thick,  slightly  coloured  with  iodine.  In  all  these  experi- 
ments, when  I  moved  the  liquids  or  glasses,  I  gave 
the  advantage,  if  any,  to  the  one  under  which  experi- 
ence showed  that  the  ants  were  least  likely  to  congre- 
gate. The  ants  all  collected  under  the  glass  over 
which  was  the  bisulphide  of  carbon. 

I  then  thought  that  though  no  doubt  the  iodine 
rendered  the  bisulphide  more  completely  impervious  to 
the  ultra-violet  rays,  I  would  try  the  effect  of  it  when 
pure  and  perfectly  colourless.  I  therefore  tried  the 
same  experiment  with  pure  bisulphide,  moving  the  two 
glasses  from  time  to  time  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
ants  had  to  pass  the  first  violet  glass  in  order  to  reach 
that  over  which  was  the  bisulphide. 

At  8.30  the  ants  were  all  under  the  glafs  over  which 
was  the  bisulphide  of  carbon :  I  then  changed 
the  position. 
8.45 
9 
9.1.5 


99 


» 


»5 


)> 


9y 


»» 


» 


210 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH 


Although  the  bisulphide  of  carbon  is  so  perfectly 
transparent,  I  then  thought  I  would  try  it  without 
the  violet  glass.  I  therefore  covered  part  of  the  nest 
with  violet  glass,  a  part  with  a  layer  of  bisulphide  of 
carbon,  moving  them  from  time  to  time  as  before,  and 
the  ants  in  every  case  went  under  the  bisulphide. 

I  then  reduced  the  thickness  of  the  layer  of  bisul- 
phide to  -^^  of  an  inch,  but  still  they  preferred  the 
bisulphide. 

Then  thinking  that  possibly  the  one  shelter  being  a 
plate  of  glass  and   the   other  a  liquid  miglit  make  a 
difference,  I    tried  two  similar   bottles,   one   contain- 
ing water  and  the  other  bisulphide  of  carbon ;  but  in 
every  case   the   ants    went'  undt-r   the    bisulphide    of 
carbon.    On  the  other  hand,  when  I  used  coloured  solu- 
tions so  deep  in  tint  that  the  ants  were  only  just  visible 
through  them,  the  ants  went  under  the  colom-ed  liquids. 
October  10.-  -I  uncovered  the  nest  at  7  a.m.,  giving 
the  ants  an  option  between  the  bisulphide  of  carbon 
and  various  coloured  solutions,  taking  for  violet  am- 
monio-sulphate  of  copper ;  for  red,  a  solution  of  carmine 
so  deep  in  tint  that  the  ants  could  only  just  be  seen 
through  it ;  for  green,  a  solution  of  chlorate  of  copper ; 
and  for  yellow,  safifron.     They   were   each   separately 
tried  with  the  bisulphide,  and  in   every  case  the  ants 
preferred  the  coloured  solution. 

I  now  took  successively  red,  yellow,  and  green 
glass ;  but  in  every  case  the  ants  preferred  the  glass  to 
the  bisulphide.     Although,  therefore,  it  would   seem 


BISULPHIDE   OF  CARBON. 


211 


from  the  previous  experiments  that  the  bisulphide 
darkened  the  nests  to  the  ants  more  than  violet  glass, 
it  would  appear  to  do  so  less  than  red,  green,  or  yellow. 

I  now  made  some  experiments  in  order,  if  possible, 
to  determine  whether  the  reason  why  the  ants  avoided 
the  violet  glass  was  because  they  disliked  the  colour 
violet,  or  whether  it  was  because  the  violet  glass  trans- 
mitted more  of  the  ultra-violet  rays. 

For  this  purpose  I  placed  a  layer  of  the  bisulphide 
of  carbon  over  a  piece  of  violet  glass.  By  this  arrange- 
ment I  got  the  violet  without  the  ultra-violet  rays  ; 
and  I  then  contrasted  this  combination  with  otlier 
coloured  media. 

First,  I  took  a  solution  of  bichromate  of  potash 
(bright  orange),  and  placed  it  on  a  part  of  the  nest,  side 
by  side  with  the  violet  glass  and  bisulphide  of  carbon. 
I  should  add  that  the  bichromate  of  potash  also  cuts  off 
the  ultra-violet  rays.  In  all  the  following  observations 
I  changed  the  position  after  each  observation. 


At  1.30  r.M.  the  ants  were  under  the  bichromate. 

3  „  „         half  under  the  bichromate 

and  half  under  the  violet 
glass  and  bisulphide. 

8  A.M. 
8.30 

bisulphide. 

9  „  „        half  under  each. 
9.30          „             „        some  under  each,  but  most 


55 


5) 


„        imder  the  bichromate. 

„        under  the  violet  glass  and 


J5 


212 


EXl^EIilMENTS   WITH 


BISULPHIDE  OF   CARBON. 


213 


945 


10 


5» 


W 


99 


J) 


under  the  violet  gluhs  and 
bisulphide, 
half  under  each. 


99 


»5 


In  this  case,  therefore,  tliough  without  the  layer  of 
bisulphide  the  violet  glass  would  always  have  been 
avoided,  the  result  of  placing  the  bisulphide  over  the 
violet  glass  was  that  the  ants  did  not  care  much 
whether  they  were  under  the  violet  glass  or  under  the 
bichromate  of  potash. 

I  then  took  the  same  solution  of  carmine  which  T 
nad  already  used. 

10.        The  ants  were  under  the  carmine. 
10.15 

most  under  the  carmine,  but 
some  under  the  violet. 

under  the  carmine. 

most  under  the  carmine,  but 
some  under  the  violet. 


10.30 

10.45 
11. 


99 


» 


99 


99 


Here,  then,  again  the  bisulphide  made  a  distinct 
difference,  though  not  so  much  so  as  with  the  bichro- 
mate of  potash. 

I  then  took  the  solution  of  chlorate  of  copper 
already  used. 

1  About  half  the  ants  were  under  each. 

1.30.   The  greater  number  were  under  the  violet 
glass  and  bisulphide. 


n 


2.  The  greater  number  were  under  the  violet 

glass  and  bisulphide. 

2.30  99  jj  j> 

3.  Almost  all  were  under  the  glass  and  bisulphide. 

The  addition  of  the  bisulphide  thus  caused  the  violet 
gkss  to  be  distinctly  preferred  to  the  chlorate  of  copper. 

I  then  took  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  nickel,  almost 
exactly  the  same  tint  as,  or  a  shade  paler  than^  the 
chlorate  of  copper. 

At  3.45   the   ants   were   under  the   violet   glass  and 
bisulphide. 


» 


» 


»> 


>» 


>5 


>? 


4. 

5. 

Octohei^  18. 

7    A.M.  99  »  ?> 

8.         About  half  of  the  ants  were  under  each. 

Here  the  effect  was  even  more  marked. 
I  then  took  some  saffron  1  inch  in  thickness  and  of 
a  deep-yellow  colour. 

1 2.45  The  ants  were  about  half  under  each. 

1.  Most  of  the  ants  were  under  the  violet  glass 

and  bisulphide. 

1.15  99  «  9' 

2.  Most  of  the  ants  were  under  the  saffron. 

Here,  again9  "we  have  the  same  result. 

I  then  tried  the  different-coloured  glasses,  all  of 
which,  as  I  had  previously  found,  are  unmistakably 
preferred  to  the  violet.     It  remained  to  be  seen  what 


■(■\ 


igA'iagfc-gf '  &iii.'ja5atasrf«ft.-^  .■■ 


214 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH 


effect  placing  the  bisulphide  of  carbon  on  the  violet 
would  have. 

First,  I  placed  side  by  side,  as  usual,  a  piece  of 
green  glass  and  the  violet  glass  covered  with  bisulphide 
of  carbon :  — 

1st  exp.  Half  of  the  ants  wore  under  each. 
2nd    „     They  were    under   the   violet  glass  and 
bisulphide. 

4th  exp.  Most  of  them  were  under  the  violet  glass 
and  bisulphide. 

^tb     »  »  „  „ 

Next,  I  tried  pale-yellow  glass. 
1st  obs.  The  ants  were  almost  all  under  the  violet 

glass  and  bisulphide. 
2nd   „     About  three-quarters  were      „         „ 
3rd    „     They  were  all  „         „ 

4th   „     About  half  were  under  each. 

I  then  took  the  dark-yellow  glass. 

1st  obs.  About  half  the  ants  were  under  the  yellow 
glass  and  half  under  the  vielet  glass  and 
bisuli)hide. 

2nd  „  Most  of  them  were  under  the  violet  glass 
and  bisulphide. 


3rcl 
4th 


59 


J5 


95 


J? 
59 


5th   „     About  half  under  each. 


yellow  glass. 

violet  glass 

and  bisul]>hide. 


.■sM^SMiaSi^^^.- 


BISULPHIDE  OF  CARBON. 


215 


I  now  took  deep-red  glass. 


1st  obs.  The  ants  were  under  the  red  glass. 

2nd 

3rd    „ 


2nd  „     Half  of  the  ants  were  under  each. 

Most  of  the  ants  were  under  violet  glass 
and  bisulphide. 
4th    „     Half  were  under  each. 

It  seemed  evident,  therefore,  that  while  if  violet 
glass  alone  was  placed  side  by  side  with  red,  yellow,  or 
green,  the  ants  greatly  preferred  any  of  the  latter,  on 
the  other  hand,  if  a  layer  of  bisulphide  of  carbon,  which 
to  our  eyes  is  perfectly  transparent,  was  placed  over 
the  violet  glass,  they  then  went  as  readily,  or  even 
more  readily,  under  it  than  under  other  colours. 

In  order  to  be  sure  that  it  was  not  the  mere 
presence  of  a  fluid,  or  the  two  layers  of  glass,  to  which 
this  was  due,  I  thought  it  would  be  well  to  try  a  similar 
series  of  experiments,  using,  however,  a  layer  of  similar 
thickness  (1  inch)  of  water  coloured  light  blue  by 
ammonio-sulphate  of  copper. 

I  therefore  took  again  the  piece  of  violet  glass,  over 
which  I  placed  a  flat-sided  bottle,  about  1  inch  thick, 
containing  a  light-blue  solution  of  ammonio-sulphate 
of  copper;  and,  in  contrast  with  it,  I  used  the  same 
coloured  glasses  as  before.  The  difference,  however, 
was  very  marked,  the  ants  always  preferring  the  red, 
green,  and  yellow  to  the  violet. 

These  experiments  seem  to  demonstrate  that  in 
the  previous  series  the  ants  were  really  influenced  by 


216 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH 


some  difference  due  to  the  bisulphide  of  carbon,  wliich 
affected  their  eyes,  though  not  ours. 

I  then  thought  it  would  be  interesting  to  use, 
instead  of  the  bisulphide,  a  solution  of  sulphate  of 
quinine  (^  dr.  to  4  ounces),  which  differs  from  it  in 
many  points,  but  agrees  in  cutting  off  the  ultni-violet 
rays.  I  used,  as  before,  a  layer  about  an  inch  thick, 
which  I  placed  over  violet  glass,  and  then  placed  by  its 
side  the  same  coloured  glasses  as  before. 

First,  I  took  the  red  glass. 
Obs.  1.  About  half  the  ants  were  under  each. 
„    2.  Most  of  them  were  under  the  red  glass. 
„    3.  About  half  under  each ;  rather  more  under  the 
violet  glass  and  sulphate   of  quinine   than 
under  the  red  glass. 


>» 


4. 


n 


>» 


» 


I  now  took  the  dark-yellow  glass  instead  of  the  red. 

Obs.  1.  Most  of  the  ants  were  under  the  violet  glass  and 

sulphate  of  quinine. 
2.  All 
3. 


4. 


o. 


5^ 


5) 


11 


J9 


5J 


yellow  glass. 


55 


$9 


C).  All  the   ants  were  imder  the  violet  glass  and 
sulphate  of  quinine. 

7.  About  half  under  each. 

8.  Rather  more  under  the  violet  glass  and  sulphate 

of  quinine  than  under  the  yellow  glass. 


BISULPHIDE  OF   CARBON. 


217 


I  then  took  the  light- yellow  glass  instead  of  the  dark. 

Obs.  ].  The  ants  were  all  under  the  violet  glass  and 

sulphate  of  quinine. 
„    2.  Rather  more  than  half  under  tne  yellow  glass. 
„    3.  Almost  all  under  the  violet  glass  and  sulphate 

of  quinine. 
55    '*•  All  „  „ 


55 


55 


55 


I  then  took  the  green  glass  instead  of  the  yellow. 
Obs.  1.  They  were  under  the  violet  glass  and  sulphate 
of  quinine. 
9 

^'  J5  W  55 

3.  About  half  under  each. 

4.  About  three-quarters  under  the  green  glass. 

„    5.  Almost  all  under  the  violet  glass  and  sulphate 
of  quinine. 

Thus,  then,  while  if  the  ants  have  to  choose 
between  the  violet  and  other  coloured  glasses,  they 
will  always  prefer  one  of  the  latter,  the  effect  of 
putting  over  the  violet  glass  a  layer  either  of  sul- 
phate of  quinine  or  bisulphide  of  carbon,  both  of 
which  are  quite  transparent,  but  both  of  which  cut  off 
the  ultra-violet  rays,  is  to  make  the  violet  glass  seem 
to  the  ants  as  good  a  shelter  as  any  of  the  other  glasses. 
This  seems  to  me  strong  evidence  that  the  ultra-violet 
rays  are  visible  to  the  ants. 

I  then  tried  similar  experiments  with  a  saturated 
solution  of  chrome  alum  and  chromium  chloride.     These 

10 


218   CHROME  ALUM  AND  CHROMIUM  CHLORIDE. 


are  dark  greenish  blue,  very  opaque  to  the  visible 
light-rays,  but  tnmsparent  to  the  ultra-violet.  I  used 
a  layer  ^  inch  thick,  which  was  still  so  dark  that  I 
could  not  see  the  ants  through  it;  and  for  comparison, 
a  solution  1  inch  thick  of  bisulphide  of  carbon,  moving 
them  after  each  observation  as  before. 

Exp.  1.  The  ants  were  under  the   bisulphide  of 
carbon. 

9 

"         -•  W  99  5, 

Exp.  3.  Most  of  the  ants  were  under  tlie  bisulpliide 
of  carbon. 
4.  All  but  three 


55 


99 


,,     5.  All 
I  now  took  chromium  chloride  instead  of  alum. 
Exp.  1.  Most  were  under  the  bisulphide  of  carbon. 


55 


2.  All 


55 


55 


55 

55 


„     3.  Almost  all  „  „ 

„     4.  About    three  -  fourtlis    were    under    the 

chromium  chloride. 
„     5.  All  were  under  the  chromium  chloride, 
„     6.  About  two-thirds  „  ^^ 

„     7.  About  one-half  under  each. 
„     8.  All  under  the  bisulj^hide  of  carbon. 
„     9.  About  three-fourths  under  the  bisulplude 

of  carbon, 
„  10.  About  half  „ 

"  "  55  55 

„  11.  All  under  the  chrome  alum. 

w  12.  „  bisulphide  of  carbon. 


ANTS  SENSITIVE  TO   ULTRA-VIOLET  RAYS.       219 


This  result  is  very  striking.  It  appears  to  show  that 
though  to  our  eyes  the  bisulphide  of  carbon  is  absolutely 
transparent,  while  the  chrome  alum  and  chromium  chlo- 
ride are  very  dark,  to  the  ants,  on  the  contrary,  the 
former  appears  to  intercept  more  light  than  a  layer  of 
the  latter,  which  to  our  eyes  appears  dark  green. 

The  only  experiments  hitherto  made  with  the  view 
of  determining  the  limits  of  vision  of  animals  have 
been  some  by  Prof.  Paul  Bert  ^  on  a  small  fresh-water 
crustacean  belonging  to  the  genus  Daphnia,  from 
which  he  concludes  that  they  perceive  all  the  colours 
known  to  us,  being,  however,  specially  sensitive  to  the 
yellow  and  green,  and  that  their  limits  of  vision  are 
the  same  as  ours. 

Nay,  he  even  goes  further  than  this,  and  feels 
justified  in  concluding  from  the  experience  of  two 
widely  divergent  species — ]Man  and  Daphnia —that 
the  limits  of  vision  would  be  the  same  in  all  cases. 

His  words  are  — 

A.  *  Tons  les  animaux  voient  les  rayons  spectraux 
que  nous  voyons.' 

B.  'lis  ne  voient  aucun  de  ceux  que  nous  ne 
voyons  pas.' 

C.  '  Dans  I'etendue  de  la  region  visible,  les  differ- 
ences entre  les  pouvoirs  eclairants  des  differents  rayons 
eolories  sont  les  memes  pour  eux  et  pour  nous.' 

He  adds,  that  'puisque  les  limites  de  visibilites 
semblent  etre  les  memes  pour  les  animaux  etpour  nous, 

*  Archie,  de  P/ii/nol.  1869,  p.  547. 


220 


THE  SENSE  OF  COLOUR. 


ne  trouvons-nous  pas  la  une  raison  de  plus  pour 
Bupposer  que  le  role  des  milieux  de  I'ceil  est  tout-a-fait 
secondaire,  et  que  la  visibilite  tient  a  rimpressionnabilite 
de  I'appareil  nerveux  lui-meme  ? ' 

Such  a  generalisation  would  seem  to  rest  on  but  a 
slight  foundation  ;  and  I  may  add  that  I  have  made 
some  experiments  myself  on  Daphnias  which  do  not 
agree  with  those  of  M.  Bert.  On  the  contrary,  I 
believe  that  the  eyes  of  Daphnias  are  in  this  respect 
constituted  like  those  of  ants. 

These  experiments  seem  to  me  very  interesting. 
They  appear  to  prove  that  ants  perceive  the  ultra-violet 
rays.  Now,  as  every  ray  of  homogeneous  light  which 
we  can  perceive  at  all  appears  to  us  as  a  distinct  colour, 
it  becomes  probable  that  these  ultra-violet  rays  must 
make  themselves  apparent  to  the  ants  as  a  distinct 
and  separate  colour  (of  which  we  can  form  no  idea), 
but  as  unlike  the  rest  as  red  is  from  yellow,  or  green 
from  violet.  The  question  also  arises  whether  white 
light  to  these  insects  would  differ  from  our  white  light 
in  containing  this  additional  colour.  At  any  rate,  as 
few  of  the  colours  in  nature  are  pure,  but  almost  all 
arise  from  the  combination  of  rays  of  different  wave- 
lengths, and  as  in  such  cases  the  visible  resultant  would 
be  composed  not  only  of  the  rays  which  we  see,  but  of 
these  and  the  ultra-violet,  it  would  appear  that  the 
colours  of  objects  and  the  general    aspect  of  nature 


•  British  Assoc.  J?ejjort  1881,  and  Linntran  &)c.  Journ.  1882 


ifea»iiai»aiiafi8iiii*'iiaiii'.aaea.« 


THE  SENSE  OF  HEARING. 


221 


must  present  to  them  a  very  different  appearance  from 
what  it  does  to  us. 


The  Sense  of  Hearing, 

Many  eminent  observers  have  regarded  the  antennae 
of  insects  as  auditory  organs,  and  have  brought  forward 
strong  evidence  in  favour  of  their  view. 

I  have  myself  made  experiments  on  grasshoppers, 
which  convinced  me  that  their  antenna}  serve  as  organs 
cf  hearing. 

So  far,  however,  as  Ants,  Bees,  and  Wasps  are  con- 
cerned, the  evidence  is  very  conflicting.  The  power  of 
hearing  has  indeed  generally  been  attributed  to  them. 
Thus  St.  Fargeau,  in  his '  Hist.  Nat.  des  Hymenopteres,'  * 
thinks  there  can  be  no  doubt  on  the  subject.  Bevan 
expresses,  no  doubt,  the  general  opinion  with  reference 
to  Bees,  when  he  says  that ''  there  is  good  evidence  that 
Bees  have  a  quick  sense  of  hearing.'  ^ 

As  regards  Wasps,  Ormerod,  who  studied  them 
so  lovingly,  came  to  the  same  conclusion.^ 

On  the  other  hand,  both  Huber  *  and  Forel  *  state 
that  ants  are  quite  deaf.  As  I  have  already  men- 
tioned in  the  '  Linnaean  Journal'  (vols.  xii.  and  xiii.), 
I  have  never  succeeded  in  satisfying  myself  that  my 
ants,  bees,  or  wasps  heard   any  of  the   sounds  with 

»  Vol.  i.  p.  113.  '  The  ITo?>c7/  Bee,  p.  264. 

■  Nat.  Hist,  of  Wasps,  p  72.  *  Nat.  Hist,  of  Ants. 

*  Four  mis  de  la  Suisse,  p.  121. 


223 


THE  SENSE  OF  HEARING. 


which  1  tried  them.  I  have  over  and  over  again 
tested  them  with  the  loudest  and  shrillest  noises  I 
could  make,  using  a  penny  pipe,  a  dog-whistle,  a 
violin,  as  well  as  the  most  piercing  and  startling 
sounds  I  could  produce  with  my  own  voice,  but  all 
without  effect.  At  the  same  time,  I  carefully  avoided 
inferring  from  this  that  they  are  really  deaf,  though 
it  certainly  seems  that  their  range  of  hearing  is  very 
different  from  ours. 

In    order,  if  possible,    to  throw    some   light   upon 
this  interesting  question,   I  made    a    variety  of  loud 
noises,    including     those     produced    by    a    complete 
set  of  tuning-forks,  as   near  as  possible  to  the   ants 
mentioned  in  the    preceding  pages,  while  they   were 
on  their  journeys  to  and  fro  between  the   nests  and 
the    larvae.     In    these    cases    the   ants   were   moving 
steadily  and  in  a  most  business-like  manner,  and  any 
start  or  alteration  of  pace  would  have   been  at  once 
apparent.     I  was  never  able,  however,  to  perceive  that 
they  took  the  slightest  notice  of  any  of  these  sounds. 
Thinking,  however,  that  they  might  perhaps  be  too 
much  absorbed  by  the  idea  of  the  larvie  to  take  any 
notice  of  my  interruptions,  I  took  one  or  two  ants  at 
random  and  put  them  on  a  strip  of  paper,  the  two  ends 
of  which  were  supported  by  pins  with  their  bases  in 
water.     The  ants  imprisoned  under  these  circumstances 
wandered   slowly  backwards  and   forwards   along   the 
paper.     As   they  did  so,  I  tested  them  in  the  same 
manner  as  before,  but  was  unable  to  perceive  that  they 


APPARENT  DEAFNESS  OF  ANTS. 


223 


took  the  slightest  notice  of  any  sound  which  I  was 
able  to  produce.  I  then  took  a  large  female  of  F. 
ligniperda,  and  tethered  her  on  a  board  to  a  pin  by  a 
delicate  silk  thread  about  6  inches  in  length.  After 
wandering  about  for  a  while,  she  stood  still,  and  I 
then  tried  her  in  the  same  way ;  but,  like  the  other 
ants,  she  took  no  notice  whatever  of  the  sounds. 

It  is  of  course  possible,  if  not  probable,  that  ants, 
even  if  deaf  to  sounds  which  we  hear,  may  hear  others 
to  which  we  are  deaf. 

Having  failed,  therefore,  in  hearing  them  or  making 
them  hear  me,  I  endeavoured  to  ascertain  whether  they 
could  hear  one  another. 

To  ascertain  then  if  possible  whether  ants  have  the 
power  of  summoning  one  another  by  sound,  I  tried  the 
following  experiments.  I  put  out  (Sept.  1874)  on  the 
board  where  one  of  my  nests  of  -Lasiiis  flavus  was 
usually  fed,  six  small  pillars  of  wood  about  an  inch 
and  a  half  high,  and  on  one  of  them  I  put  some 
honey.  A  number  of  ants  wej^e  wandering  about  on 
the  board  itself  in  search  of  food,  and  the  nest  itself 
was  immediately  above,  and  about  12  inches  from,  the 
board.  I  then  put  three  ants  to  the  honey,  and  when 
each  had  sufficiently  fed  I  iniprisoned  her  and  put 
another;  thus  always  keeping  three  ants  at  the 
honey,  but  not  allowing  them  to  go  home.  If  then 
they  could  summon  their  friends  by  sound,  there 
ought  soon  to  be  many  ants  at  the  honey.  The  resulta 
were  as  follow : 


224 


ATTEMPTS  TO  ASCEKTAIN 


September  8.— Began  at  11  a.m.     Up  to  3  o'clock 
only  seven  ants  found  their  way  to  the  honey,  while 
about  as  many  ran  up  the  other  pillars.     The  arrival  of 
these    seven,   therefore,   was   not    more   than    would 
naturally  result  from  the  numbers  running  about  close 
by.     At  3  we  allowed  the  ants  then  on  the  honey  to 
return  home.     The  result  was  that  from  3.6,  when  the 
first  went  home,  to  3.30,  eleven  came;  from  3.30  to  4, 
no  less  than  forty-three.     Thus  in  four  hours  only  seven 
came,  while  it  was   obvious   that   many   would   have 
wished  to  come,  if  they  had  known  about  the  honey, 
because   in  the  next  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  when 
they  were  informed  of  it,  fifty-four  came. 

On  September  10  I  tried  the  same  again,  keep- 
ing as  before  three  ants  always  on  the  honey,  but  not 
allowing  any  to  go  home.  From  12  to  5.30,  only  eight 
came.  Those  on  the  honey  were  then  allowed  to  take 
the  news  home.  From  5.30  to  6,  four  came ;  from 
6  to  6.30,  four ;  from  6.30  to  7,  eight ;  from  7.30  to  8, 
no  less  than  fifty-one. 

On  September  23  we  did  the  same  again,  begin- 
ning at  11.15.  Up  to  3.45  nine  came.  The  ants 
on  the  honey  were  then  allowed  to  go  home.  From 
4  to  4.30  nine  came ;  from  4.30  to  6,  fifteen  ;  from  5 
to  5.30  nineteen  ;  from  5.30  to  6,  thirty-eight.  Thus 
in  three  and  a  half  hours  only  nine  came ;  in  two, 
when  the  ants  were  permitted  to  return,  eighty-one. 

Again,  on  September  30  I  tried  the  same  arrange- 
ment, again  beginning  at  11.     Up  to  3.30  seven  ants 


WHETHER  ANTS  CALL  ONE  ANOTHER. 


225 


came.  We  then  allowed  the  ants  which  had  fed  to 
go  home.  From  3.30  to  4.30  twenty-eight  came. 
From  4.30  to  5,  fifty-one  came.  Thus  in  four  hours 
and  a  half  only  seven  came ;  while  when  the  ants  were 
allowed  to  return  no  less  than  seventy-nine  came  in  an 
hour  and  a  half.  It  seems  obvious  therefore  that  in 
these  cases  no  communication  was  transmitted  by 
sound. 

Again,  Professor  T^Tidall  was  good  enough  to  arrange 
for  me  one  of  his  sensitive  flames ;  but  I  could  not 
perceive  that  it  responded  in  any  way  to  my  ants.  The 
experiment  was  not,  however,  very  satisfactory,  as  I  was  not 
able  to  try  the  flame  with  a  very  active  nest.  Professor 
Bell  most  kindly  set  up  for  me  an  extremely  sensitive 
microphone  :  it  was  attached  to  the  underside  of  one  of 
my  nests  ;  and  though  we  could  distinctly  hear  the  ants 
walking  about,  we  could  not  distinguish  any  other 
sound. 

It  is,  however,  far  from  improbable  that  ants  may 
produce  sounds  entirely  beyond  our  range  of  hearing. 
Indeed,  it  is  not  impossible  that  insects  may  possess 
senses,  or  sensations,  of  which  we  can  no  more  form  an 
idea  than  we  should  have  been  able  to  conceive  red  or 
green  if  the  human  race  had  been  blind.  The  human 
ear  is  sensitive  to  vibrations  reaching  at  the  outside  to 
38,000  in  a  second.  The  sensation  of  red  is  produced 
when  470  millions  of  millions  of  vibrations  enter  the 
eye  in  a  similar  time  ;  but  between  these  two  numbers, 
vibrations  produce  on  us  only  the  sensation  of  heat ; 


226         EXPERIMENTS  WITH  SENSITIVE  FLAME. 

we  have  no  special  organs  of  sense  adapted  to  them. 
There  is,  however,  no  reason  in  the  nature  of  things 
why  this  should  be  the  case  with  other  animals ;  and 
the  problematical  organs  possessed  by  many  of  the 
lower  forms  may  have  relation  to  sensations  which  we 
do  not  perceive.  If  any  apparatus  could  be  devised 
by  which  the  number  of  vibrations  produced  by  any 
given  cause  could  be  lowered  so  as  to  be  brought  within 
the  range  of  our  ears,  it  is  probable  that  the  result 
would  be  most  interesting. 

Moreover,  there  are  not  wanting  observations  which 
certainly  seem  to  indicate  that  ants  possess  some  sense 
of  hearing. 

I  am,  for  instance,  indebted  to  Mr.  Francis  Galton 
for  the  following  quotation  from  Colonel  Long's  recent 
work  on  Central  Africa.*  '  I  observed,'  lie  says,  '  the 
manner  of  catching  them  '  (the  ants,  for  food),  '  as  here 
pictured'  (he  gives  a  figure).  'Seated  round  an  ant- 
hole  were  two  very  pretty  maidens,  who  with  sticks 
beat  upon  an  inverted  gourd,  "bourmah,"  in  cadenced 
time  to  a  not  unmusical  song,  that  seduced  from  its 
hole  the  unwary  ant,  who,  approaching  the  orifice,  was 
quickly  seized.'      The  species  of  ant  is  not  mentioned. 

Moreover,  there  are  in  the  antennae  certain  remark- 
able structures,  which  may  very  probably  be  auditory 
organs. 

These  curious  organs  (Fig.  6)  were  first  noticetl»' 

»  Central  Africa,  by  Col.  C.  C.  Long.  p.  274. 


ANTS  PROBABLY  HEAR  HIGH  NOTES. 


227 


BO  far  as  I  am  aware,  by  Dr.  J.  Braxton  Hicks  in  his  ex- 
cellent paper  on  the  'Antennae  of  Insects,'  published  in 
the  22nd  volume  of  the  'Linuaean  Transactions;'  and, 
again,  by  Dr.  Forel  in  his  '  Fourmis  de  la  Suisse.' 
They  certainly  deserve  more  attention  than  they  have 
yet  received.  The  cork-shaped  organs  (P'igs.  6  and  7,  e  e) 
occur  in  allied  species;  but  these  stethoscope-like 
organs  have  not,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  been  yet 
observed  in  other  insects.  They  consist  of  an  outer 
sac  (Figs.  6  and  7,  s),  of  a  long  tube  {t\  and  a  posterior 
chamber  {w\  to  which  is  given  a  nerve  (?i). 

ForeP   also   describes   these   curious  organs.     He 
appears  to  consider  that  the  number  varies  consider- 

Fig.  6. 


^^ 


Terminal  portion  of  antcnn:c  of  My r mica  riiginodu  ^  x  76. 

ably,  namely,  from  5  to  12.  My  own  impression  is 
that  this  difference  is  only  apparent,  and  that  in  reality 
the    numbers    in    each  species    vary  little.      Though 

'  Travs.of  Linnrran  S<w.,vo\.iLxn.^.'^^\. 
"  Founnu  de  la  Siiuse,  p.  301. 


\ 


228 


ORGANS  OF   SENSE 


Bometimes  the  presence  of  air  renders  them  very  con- 
spicuous,  they  are  in  others  by  no  means  easy  to  make 


Fig.  7. 


Diagrammatic  section  through  part  of  Fig.  6. 

<?,  chit i nous  skin  of  the  antenna,  ee,  two  of  the  cork-shapod 
organs,  s,  external  chamber  of  one  of  the  stethoscope-shai)ed 
oi^ans.     tj  the  tube,    w,  the  posterior  sac.     n,  the  nerve. 

out ;  and  I  think  that  when  a  small  number  only  are 
apparently  present,  this  is  probably  due  merely  to  the 
fact  that  the  others  are  not  brought  out  by  the  mode 
of  preparation. 

In  addition  to  the  group  of  these  organs  situated 
in  the  terminal  segment,  there  is  one,  or  in  some  rare 
cases  I  have  found  two,  in  each  of  the  small  preceding 
segments.  The  tubes  in  these  segments  appeared  to 
the  eye  to  be  nearly  of  the  same  length  as  those  in  the 
terminal  segment,  but  I  could  not  measure  their  exact 
length,  as  they  do  not  lie  flat.  In  some  cases,  when 
the  segment  was  short,  the  tube  was  bent — an  indica- 
tion, perhaps,  that  the  exact  length  is  of  importance. 
It  is  possible  that  these  curious  organs  may  be  audi- 
tory, and  serve  like  microscopic  stethoscopes.  Professor 
Tyndall,  who  was  good  enough  to  examine  them  with 
me,  concmred  in  the  opinion  that  this  was  very  pro- 
bable.    I  believe  I  am  correct  in  saying  that  the  bend- 


iwwiwwir>iiiWiiiiWiJft"Wi"^*' 


IN   THE   ANTENNAE   OF  ANTS. 


229 


ing  of  the  tube  in  the  short  segments  would  make 
little  difference  in  its  mode  of  action. 

Kirby   and    Spence    were,   I  believe,  the   first    to 
notice   that  an    insect  allied   to   the  ants   {Mutilla 
EuropcBo)    has    the    power    of    making    a    sibilant, 
chirping    sound,    but    they    did    not    ascertain    how 
this  was  effected.     Goureau  >  subsequently  called   at- 
tention to  the  same  fact,  and   attributed   it  to  fric- 
tion of  the  base  of  the  third  segment  of  the   abdo- 
men  against   the   second.     Westwood,^  on   the   other 
hand,  thought  the  sound  was  produced  « by  the  action 
of  the  large  collar  against  the  front  of  the  mesothorax.' 
Darwin,  in  his  '  Descent  of  Man,'  adopts  the  same  view. 
*  I  find,*  he  says,^  '  that  these  surfaces  {Le.  the  over- 
lapping portions  of  the   second  and  third  abdominal 
segments)  are  marked  with  very  fine  concentric  ridges, 
but  so  is  the  projecting  thoracic  collar,  on  which  the 
head  articulates  ;  and  this  collar,  when  scratched  with 
the  point  of  a  needle,  emits  the  proper  sound.'   Landois, 
after  referring  to  this  opinion,  expresses  himself  strongly 
in  opposition  to  it.     The  true  organ  of  sound  is,  he 
maintains,^  a  triangular  field  on  the  upper  surface  of 
the  fourth  abdominal  ring,  which  is  finely  ribbed,  and 
which,  when  rubbed,  emits  a  stridulating  sound.     It 
certainly   would    appear,   from    Landois'   observations, 
that  this  structure  does  produce  sound,  whether  or  not 

'  Ann.  de  la  Sac.  Ent.  de  France,  1837. 
2  Modern  Cl(JSftificationft  of  Tn»ect8y  vol  ii. 
"  Descent  of  Man,  vol.  i.  p.  366. 
*  Thierstimmen,  p.  132. 


230 


STRIDULATINO   APPARATUS 


we  consider  that  the  friction  of  the  collar  against  the 
mesothorax  may  also  assist  in  doing  so. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Landois  asked  himself 
"whether  other  genera  allied  to  Mutilla  might  not 
possess  a  similar  organ,  and  also  have  the  power  of  pro- 
ducing sound.  He  first  examined  the  genus  Ponera, 
which,  in  the  structure  of  its  abdomen,  nearly  resem- 
bles Mutilla,  and  here  also  he  found  a  fully  developed 
stridulating  apparatus. 

He  then  turned  to  the  true  ants,  and  here  also  he 
found  a  similar  rasp-like  organ  in  the  same  situation. 
It  is  indeed  true  that  ants  produce  no  sounds  which 
are  audible  by  us;  still,  when  we  find  that  certain 
allied  insects  do  produce  sounds  appieciable  to  us  by 
rubbing  the  abdominal  segments  one  over  the  other ; 
and  when  we  find,  in  some  ants,  a  nearly  similar 
structure,  it  certainly  seems  not  unreasonable  to 
conclude  that  these  latter  also  do  produce  sounds, 
even  though  we  cannot  hear  them.     Landois  describes 

Fig.  8. 


Attachment  of  abdominal  segments  of  Lasiiu  flavus  ^  x  *25, 

the  structure  in  the  workers  of  Lasius  fuliginoaiis  as 
having  20  ribs  in  a  breadth  of  0*13  of  a  millimetre. 


■  *'*''«•*  *■  f,*" 


ON  ABDOMINAL  SEGMENTS. 


231 


but  he  gives  no  figure.  In  Fig.  8  I  have  represented 
the  junction  of  the  second  and  third  abdominal  seg- 
ments in  Lasius  Jlavus,  x  225,  as  shown  in  a  longi- 
tudinal and  vertical  section.  There  are  about  ten 
well-marked  ribs  (r),  occupying  a  length  of  approxi- 
mately -j^-J^  of  an  inch.  Similar  ridges  also  occur 
between  the  following  segments. 

In  connection  with  the  sense  of  hearing  I  may 
mention  another  very  interesting  structure.  In  the 
year  1844,  Von  Siebold  described  '  a  remarkable  organ 
which  he  had  discovered  in  the  tibia3  of  the  front  legs 
of  Gryllus^  and  which  he  considered  to  serve  for  the  pur- 
pose of  hearing.  These  organs  have  also  been  studied 
by  Biinneister,  Brunner,  Ilensen,  Leydig,  and  others, 
and  have  recently  been  the  subject  of  a  nionogra])h  by 
Dr.  V.  Graber,"  who  commences  his  memoir  bv  observ- 
iiig  that  they  are  organs  of  an  entirely  uni(pie  character, 

Fig.  9. 


Tibia  of  Lantis  Jiavus  5  x  75. 

and  that  nothing  corresponding  to  them  occurs  in  any 
other  insects,  or  indeed  in  any  other  Arthropods. 

'  See  also  Sharp,  Trm}s.  Ent.  Soc.^  181>3. 

'  Uebir  das  Sfimm.  und  Ochoroiyan  dcr  Orfhopfcrcn,  Wiegmami's 
Art.f.  Natur.,  1844. 

'  Die  Timipanahn  Sinncsappanik  dcr  Orlhopfcraiy  von  Dr.  Vitus 
Graber,  1875. 


232 


REMARKABLE  STRUCTURE  IN 


I  have  therefore  been  very  much  interested  by  dis* 
covering  (1875)  in  ants  a  structure  which  seems  in 
some  remarkable  points  to  resemble  that  of  the 
Orthoptera.  As  will  be  seen  from  a  glance  at  Dr. 
Graber's  memoir,  and  the  plates  which  accompany  it, 
the  large  trachea  of  the  leg  in  the  Orthof)tera  is  con- 
siderably swollen  in  the  tibia,  and  sends  off,  shortly 
after  entering  the  tibia,  a  branch  which,  after  running 
for  some  time  parallel  to  the  principal  trunk,  joins  it 
again.  See,  for  instance,  in  his  monograph,  plate  ii., 
fig.  43 ;  plate  vi.,  fig.  69  ;  plate  vii.,  fig.  77  ;  &c. 

Now,  I  have  observed  that  in  many  other  insects  the 
tracheae  of  the  tibia  are  dilated,  and  in  several  I  have 
been  able  to  detect  a  recurrent  branch.  The  same  is 
also  the  case  in  some  mites.  I  will,  however,  reserve 
what  I  have  to  say  on  this  subject,  with  reference  to 
other  insects,  for  another  occasion,  and  will  at  present 
confine  myself  to  the  ants.  If  we  examine  the  tibia, 
say  of  Lasius  Jlavus,  Fig.  9,  we  shall  see  that  the 
trachea  presents  a  remarkable  arrangement,  which  at 
once  reminds  us  of  that  which  occurs  in  Gryllus  and 
other  Orthoptera.  In  the  femur  it  has  a  diameter  of 
about  3Q^QQ  of  an  inch  ;  as  soon,  however,  as  it  enters 
the  tibia,  it  swells  to  a  diameter  of  about  g-L-  of  an 
inch,  then  contracts  again  to  -^^  and  then  again,  at 
the  apical  extremity  of  the  tibia,  once  more  expands 
to  y^.  Moreover,  as  in  Gryllus,  so  also  in  Forriiica^  a 
small  branch  rises  from  the   upper   sac,  runs  almost 


''XraWWWSWn'StfMBJ 


THE  TIJUA   OF  ANTS. 


23.*^ 


s( might  dcwn  the  tibia,  and  falls  again  into  the  main 
trachea  just  above  the  lower  sac. 

The  remarkable  sacs  (Fig.  9,  s  s)  at  the  two  ex- 
tremities of  the  trachea  in  the  tibia  mny  also  be  well 
seen  in  other  transparent  species,  such,  for  instance, 
as  Myrmica  ruginodis  and  Pheidole  mecjacephala. 

At  the  place  where  the  upper  tracheal  sac  con- 
tracts (Fig.  9),  there  is,  moreover,  a  conical  striated 
org-an  {x\  which  is  situated  at  the  back  of  the  leg,  just 
J't  the  apical  end  of  the  upper  tracheal  sac.  The 
liroad  base  lies  against  the  external  wall  of  the  leg,  and 
the  fibres  converge  inwards.  In  some  cases  I  thought 
[  could  perceive  indications  of  bright  rods,  but  I  was 
never  able  to  make  them  out  very  clearly.  This  also 
reminds  us  of  a  curious  structure  which  is  found  in  the 
tibiae  of  Locustida^,  between  the  trachea,  the  nerve, 
and  the  outer  wall,  and  which  is  well  shown  in  some  of 
Dr.  Graber's  figures. 

On  the  whole,  then,  though  the  subject  is  still 
involved  in  doubt,  I  am  disposed  to  think  that  ants 
perceive  sounds  which  we  cannot  hear 

The  Serine  of  Smell, 

I  have  also  made  a  num!  er  of  experiments  on  the 
power  of  smell  possessed  by  ants.  I  dipi^ed  camel's-hair 
brushes  into  peppermint-water,  essence  of  cloves,  la  ven- 
der-wa'er,  and  (»ther  strong  scents,  and  suspended  them 


-  .•  •d'iii: 


aiSMWihiSliiaiMi 


234 


TTIE  SENSE   OF   SMEIX. 


about  i  of  an  inch  above  the  strips  of  paper  along  which 
the  ants  were  passing,  in  the  experiments  above  recorded. 
Under  these  circumstances,  while  some  of  the  ants  passed 
on  without  taking  any  notice,  others  stopped  when  they 
came  close  to  the  pencil,  and,  evidently  perceiving  the 
smell,  turned  back.  Soon,  however,  they  returned  and 
passed  the  scented  pencil.  After  doing  this  two  or 
three  times,  they  generally  took  no  further  notice  of 
the  scent.  This  experiment  left  no  doubt  on  my  mind  ; 
still,  to  make  the  matter  even  more  clear,  I  experi- 
mented with  ants  placed  on  an  isolated  strip  of  paper. 
Over  the  paper,  and  at  such  a  distance  as  almost,  but 
not  quite,  to  touch  any  ant  which  passed  under  it,  I 
again  suspended  a  camel's-hair  brush,  dipped  in  assa- 
foetida,  lavender-water,  peppermint-water,  essence  of 
cloves,  and  other  scents.  In  this  experiment  the 
results  were  very  marked  ;  and  no  one  who  watched 
the  behaviour  of  the  ants  under  these  circumstances 
could  have  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  their  power  of 

smell. 

I  then  took  a  large  fc.'male  of  F,  Wjniperda  and 
tethered  her  on  a  board  by  a  thread  as  before.  When 
she  was  quite  quiet  I  tried  her  with  the  tuning-forks; 
but  they  did  not  disturb  her  in  the  least.  I  tlien  ap- 
proached the  feather  of  a  pen  very  quietly,  so  as  almost 
to  touch  first  one  and  then  the  otlier  of  the  antennnp, 
which,  however,  did  not  move.  I  then  dipi)r<l  the  pen 
in  essence  of  musk  and  did  the  same;  the  antenna 
was  slowly   retracted   and  drawn   (juite   back.      I   then 


■f  -  "- 


THE  SENSE   OF  SMEF.L 


235 


repeated  the  same  with  the  other  antenna.  If  I 
touched  the  antenna,  the  ant  started  away,  apparently 
smarting.  I  repeated  the  same  with  essence  of  laven- 
der, and  with  a  second  ant.  The  result  was  the  same. 
Many  of  my  other  experiments— for  instance,  some 
of  those  recorded  in  the  next  chapter — point  to  the 
same  conclusion  ;  and,  in  fact,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
whatever  that  in  ants  the  sense  of  smell  is  tngldy 
develojK'd. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

GENERAL   INTELLIGENCE,   AND   ^0^^  ER    OF   FINDING 

TIIEIK    WAY. 

A  NUMBER  of  interesting  anecdotes  are  on  record  as  U) 
tne  ingenuity  displayed  by  ants  under  certain  circum- 
stances. 

M.  Lund,  for  instance,  tells  the  following  story  as 
l>earing  on  the  intelligence  of  ants  : ' — 

*  Passant  un  jour  pres  d'un  arbre  presque  isole,  je 
fus  surpris  d'entendre,  par  un  temps  calme,des  feuilles 
qui  touibaient  comuie  de  la  pluie.  Ce  qui  augmenta 
mon  etonnement,  c'estque  les  feuilles  detachees  avaient 
leur  oouleur  naturelle,  et  que  I'arbre  seinblait  jouir  de 
toute  sa  vigueur.  Je  m'approchai  pour  trouver  ['expli- 
cation de  ce  phenomene,  et  je  vis  qu'a  peu  pr^s  sur 
chaque  petiole  etait  postee  une  fourrni  qui  travaillait 
de  toute  sa  force ;  le  petiole  etait  bientot  coupe  et  la 
feuille  tombait  par  terre.  Une  autre  scene  se  passait 
au  pied  de  Tarbre:  la  terre  etait  convert e  de  fourmis 
occupees  a  decouper  les  feu.lles  a  mesure  qu'elles  tom- 
baieat,  et  les  morceaux  etaient  sur  le  champ  transportes 
dans  le  nid.     En   moins   d'une   heure   le  grand  ceuvre 

'  A.'in,  d€»  Set.  Mat.  1831,  p.  1  iL*. 


RCONOMV    OF   LABOUR. 


23? 


s'Mf»oftn3i>1it  sous  mes  yeux,  et  I'arbre  resta  onlic^roment 
depouille.' 

Hates  '  gives  ;m  aj^parently  similar,  but  really  very 
nilTerent  account.  'The  Saiiba  ants,'  he  says,  '  mount 
the  tree  in  multitudes,  the  individuals  being  all 
worker-minors.  Each  one  places  itself  on  the  surface 
of  a  leaf,  and  cuts  with  its  sharp  scissor-like  jaws  a 
nearly  semicircular  incision  on  the  upper  side  ;  it  then 
takes  the  edge  between  its  jaws,  and  by  a  sharj:)  jerk 
detaches  the  piece.  Sometimes  they  let  the  leaf  drop  to 
the  ground,  where  a  little heapaccunuilates,  until  carried 
off  by  another  relay  of  workers  ;  but,  generally,  each 
marches  off  with  the  piece  it  has  operated  upon.' 

Dr.  Kerner  recounts-  the  following  story  communi- 
cated to  him  by  Dr.  Gredler  of  Botzen  : — 

'  One  of  his  colleagues  at  Innsbriick,  says  that 
gentleman,  had  for  months  been  in  the  habit  of  sprink- 
ling pounded  sugar  on  the  sill  of  his  window,  for  a 
train  of  ants,  which  passed  in  constant  procession  from 
the  garden  to  the  window.  One  day,  he  took  it  into 
his  head  to  put  the  pounded  sugar  into  a  vessel, 
which  he  fastened  with  a  string  to  the  transom  of  the 
window;  and,  in  order  that  his  long-petted  insects 
might  have  information  of  the  supply  suspended  above, 
a  number  of  the  same  set  of  ants  were  placed  with  the 
sugar  in  the  vessel.     These  busy  creatures  forthwith 


'  Naturalist  on  the  Amazons,  voL  i.  p.  20. 

»  t'loirn's  and  tht-ir  Inhultlvn  (iucttif.  Dr.  A.  Kerner.    Traua.  b| 
ft'.  Offle,  1S78,  p.  21. 


238 


STATEMENT    RY 


§eized  on  tl»e  particles  of  sugar,  and  soon  discovering 
the  only  way  open  to  them,  viz.  up  the  string,  over 
the  transom  and  down  the  ^yind()^v-f^ame,  rejoined  their 
fellows  on  the  sill,  whence  they  could  resume  the  old 
route  down  the  steep  wall  into  the  garden.  Before 
long  the  route  over  the  new  track  from  the  sill  to  the 
sugar,  by  the  window-frame,  transom,  and  string  was 
completely  established ;  and  so  passed  a  day  or  two 
without  anything  new.  Then  one  morning  it  was 
noticed  that  the  ants  were  stopping  at  their  old  place, 
that  is,  the  window-sill,  and  getting  sugar  there.  Not 
a  single  individual  any  longer  traversed  the  path  that 
led  thence  to  the  sugar  above.  This  was  not  because 
the  store  above  had  been  exhausted ;  but  because  some 
dozen  little  fellows  were  working  away  vigorously  and 
incessantly  up  aloft  in  the  vessel,  dragging  the  sugar 
crumbs  to  its  edge,  and  throwing  them  down  to 
their  comrades  below  on  the  sill,  a  sill  which  with 
their  limited  range  of  vision  they  could  not  possibly 
see  ! ' 

Leuckart  also  made  a  similar  experiment.  Round  a 
^ree  which  was  frequented  by  ants,  he  spread  a  band 
soaked  in  tobacco  water.  The  ants  above  the  band 
after  awhile  let  themselves  drop  to  the  ground,  but 
the  ascending  ants  were  long  baffled.  At  length  he 
saw  them  coming  back,  each  with  a  pellet  of  earth  in 
its  mouth,  and  thus  they  constructed  a  road  for  them- 
fudves,  over  which  they  streamed  up  the  tree. 


PREVIOUS    OBSERVERS. 


239 


Dr.  liiichner  records   the  following  instance  on  the 
nuthority  of  a  friend  (M.  Theuerkauf ) : — 

'  A  maple  tree  slanding  on  the  ground  of  the 
manufacturer,  Vollbaum,  of  Klbing  (no»v  of  Dantzic) 
swarmed  with  a[)hides  and  ants.  In  order  to  check 
the  mischief,  the  proprietor  smeared  about  a  foot  width 
of  the  ground  round  the  tree  with  tar.  The  first  ants 
who  wanted  to  cross  naturally  stuck  fast.  But  what 
did  the  next?  They  turned  back  to  the  tree  and 
carried  down  aphides,  which  they  stuck  down  on  the 
tjir  one  after  another  until  they  had  made  a  bridge,  over 
which  they  could  cross  the  tar-ring  without  danger. 
The  above-named  merchant,  Vollbaum,  is  the  guarantor 
of  this  story,  which  I  received  from  his  own  mouth  on 
the  very  spot  whereat  it  occurred.'* 

In  this  case  I  confess  I  have  my  doubts  as  to  the 
interpretation  of  the  fact.  Is  it  not  possible  that  as 
the  ants  descended  the  tree,  carrying  the  aphides,  the 
latter  naturally  stuck  to  the  tar,  and  would  certainly 
be  left  there.  In  the  same  way  I  have  seen  hundreds 
of  bits  of  earth  deposited  on  the  honey  with  which  I 
fed  my  ants. 

On  one  occasion  licit  observed  '^  a  community  of 
leaf-cutting  ants  (^(Ecodoma\  which  was  in  the  process 
of  moving  from  one  nest  to  another.  '  Between  the 
old  burrows  and  the  new  one  was  a  steep  slope.  In- 
p*ead  of  descending  this  with   their  burdens,  they  cast 

•   }find  in  Animals,  by  Prof.  Lndwit:^  Bucliner,  p,  120. 
'  \titur<di)tt  in  Nicaragua,  0.  P>elt,  p.  70. 


ft.'jsifeiaflsarii.al 


*£         *-.*.ii^V.'fc     *,■"*    ,- 'i' J^  r 


240 


EXPERIMENTS   AS   TO   TOWEKS. 


Fig.  10. 


them  down  on  the  top  of  the  slope,  whence  they 
rolled  to  the  bottom,  where  another  relay  of  lahourerd 
picked  them  up  and  carried  them  to  the  new  burrow. 
It  was  amusing  to  watch  the  ants  hunying  out  with 
bundles  of  food,  dropping  them  over  the  slope,  anti 
rushing  back  immediately  for  more.' 

With    reference  to  these  interesting  statements,  I 
tried  the  following  experiment : — 

October   15  (see    Fig.   10).— At  a  distance    of    10 
inches  from  the  door  of  a  nest  of  Lasius  iiiger  I  fixed 

an  upright  ash  wand  3  feet  6  inches 
high  (a),  and  from  the  top  of  it 
I  suspended  a  second,  rather  shorter 
wand  (6).  To  the  lower  end  of  this 
d  second  wand,  which  hung  just  over  the 
^  entrance  to  the  nest  (c),  I  fastened 
a  flat  glass  cell  {d)  in  which  I  placed  a  number  of  larva\ 
and  to  them  I  put  three  or  four  specimens  of  L.  nirjer. 
The  drop  from  the  glass  cell  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
frame  was  only  \  an  inch;  still,  though  the  ants 
reached  over  and  showed  a  great  anxiety  to  take  this 
short  cut  home,  they  none  of  them  faced  the  leap,  but 
all  went  round  by  the  sticks,  a  distance  of  nearly  7 
feet.  At  6  p.m.  there  were  over  550  larvae  in  the  glass 
cell,  and  I  reduced  its  distance  from  the  upper  surface 
of  the  nest  to  about  J  of  an  inch,  so  that  the  ants 
could  even  touch  the  glass  with  their  antennae,  but 
could  not  reach  up  nor  step  down.  Still,  though  the 
drop  was  so  suiall,  they  all  went  round.     At  1 1  p.m.  the 


OF  ECONOxMISlNG   LABOUR 


241 


greater  number  of  the  larv.-e  had  been  carried  off;  so 
I  put  a  fresh  lot  in  the  cell.  The  ants  were  busily  at 
work.  At  ^  k.M.  I  visited  them  again.  They  were 
still  carrying  off  the  larvji?,  and  all  going  round.  At 
6  A.M.  the  larva3  were  all  removed.  I  put  a  fresh  lot, 
and  up  to  9  a.m.  they  went  on  as  before. 

The  following  day  (October  17)  I  took  two  longer 
sticks,  each  6  feet  6  inches  in  length,  and  arranged 
them  in  a  similar  manner,  only  horizontally  instead  of 
vertically.  I  also  placed  fine  earth  under  the  glass 
supi)orting  the  larvae.  At  8  o'clock  I  placed  an  ant  on 
the  larvae;  she  took  one,  and  I  then  coaxed  her  home 
along  the  sticks.  She  deposited  her  larva  and  im- 
mediately came  out  again,  not,  however,  going  along 
the  stick,  but  under  the  larvae,  vainly  reaching  up  and 
endeavouring  to  reach  the  glass.  At  8.30  I  put  hei 
on  the  larvae  again,  and  as  she  evidently  did  not  know 
her  way  home,  but  kept  stretching  herself  down  and 
trying  to  reach  the  earth  under  the  glass  cell,  I  again 
coaxed  her  home  alonij  the  sticks.  At  9.3  she  came 
out  again,  and  again  went  under  the  larvae  and  wandered 
about  there.  At  10  I  put  her  on  the  larvae  and  agnin 
helped  her  home.  At  10.15  she  came  out  again,  and 
this  time  went  to  the  stick,  but  still  wanted  some 
guidance.  At  10.45  she  again  reached  the  frame,  but 
immediately  cam.e  out  again,  and  I  once  more  coaxed 
her  round.  After  wandering  about  some  time  with  a 
larva  in  her  mouth,  she  dropped  down  at  11.14.  After 
depositing  her  larva,  she  came  out  directly  and  weni 


242 


WANT   OF   INGENUITY   IN'    ASSISTINO 


under  the  larvre.  I  again  coaxed  lier  round,  anti  this 
time  also  she  dropped  off  the  glass  with  lier  larva.  At 
12.30  she  came  out  again,  and  fur  the  last  time  I 
helped  her  round.  After  this  she  found  her  way  by 
herself.  At  12.20  another  (No.  2)  found  her  way 
round  and  returned  at  12.37.  For  the  next  hour  theii 
times  were  as  follows  :  — 


No.  1. 
12.40 

12.54 

1.   1 
1.  7 

1.12 

1.10 

1.2G 

1.32 

1.38 

1.45 

1.52 


No.  2. 

12.47 

12.54 

1.  0 

1.  8 

1.14 

1.21 

1.28 

1.34 

1.41 

1.47 

1.54 


Thus   they   both    made  9  visits    in    an    hour.     Aa 
regards  actual  pace,  I  found  they  both  did  about  6  leet 


ONE   ANOTHER    (WER   CHASMS. 


243 


in  a  minute.  Soon  after  these  began,  other  ants  came 
with  them.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  all  my  anis 
were  unusually  active.  At  1  P.M.  I  counted  10  on  the 
sticks  at  once,  by  1.30  over  30,  and  at  5  in  the  after- 
noon over  60.  They  went  on  working  very  hard,  and 
forming  a  continuous  stream  till  I  went  to  bed  at  1 1  ; 
and  at  4  in  the  morning  I  found  them  still  at  work ; 
but  though  they  were  very  anxious  and,  especially  at 
first,  tried  very  hard  to  save  themselves  the  trouble  of 
going  round,  they  did  not  think  of  jumping  down,  nor 
did  they  throw  the  larvae  over  the  edge. 

Moreover,  as  I  had  placed  some  sifted  mould  under 
the  glass,  a  minute's  labour  would  have  been  sufficient 
to  heap  up  one  or  two  particles,  and  thus  make  a  little 
mound  which  would  have  enabled  them  to  get  up  and 
down  without  going  round.  A  mound  ^  inch  high 
would   have  been   sufficient;  but  it  did  not  occur  to 

them  to  form  one. 

The  following  morning  (October  18)  I  put  out  some 
larvae  again  at  6  A.M.  Some  of  the  ants  soon  came  ; 
and  the  same  scene  continued  till  11.30  A.M.,  when  I 
left  off  observing. 

Again,  on  October  22,  I  placed  a  few  larvae  in  a 
glass,  which  I  kept  continually  replenished,  which 
was  suspended  ^  of  an  inch  above  the  surface  of  the 
frame  containing  their  nest,  but  only  connected  with  it 
by  tapes  five  feet.  long.  I  then,  at  6.30,  put  a  L,  niger 
to  the  larvae  ;  she  took  one  and  tried  hard  to  reach 
down,  but  could  not  do  so,  and  would  not  jump ;  so  I 


244 


WANT   OF   INGENUITY   IN 


coaxed  Ler  round  \hv  tapes.  She  went  into  \]\e  nost. 
jleposited  her  larva,  and  immediately  came  out  again. 
I  put  her  back  on  the  larvae  at  7.15  ;  she  took  one,  and 
again  tried  hard,  but  ineffectually,  to  reach  down.  1 
therefore  again  coaxed  her  round.  She  went  into  the 
nest,  deposited  her  larva,  and  came  out  a^ain  directly 
as  before.  I  put  her  back  on  the  larvae  at  7.35,  when 
the  same  thing  happened  again.  She  got  back  to  the 
nest  at  7.40,  and  immediately  came  out  again.  This 
lime  she  found  her  way  round  the  string,  with  some 
help  from  me,  and  reached  the  larvae  at  7.50.  I  helped 
her  home  for  the  last  time.  The  next  journey  she 
found  her  way  without  assistance,  and  reached  the 
larvae  at  8.2G.  After  this  she  returned  as  foHows, 
viz. : — 


At  8.50 
9.  0 
9.10 
9.17 

9.28 


I  now  made  the  length  of  the  journey  round  (1 
Uipes  10  feet.     This  puzzled  her  a  little  at  first. 
She  returned  as  follows  ; — 


le 


9.41 

9.55 

10.  8 

10.16 

10.20 


1 0..35 
10.44 
10.54 
11.  0 

1 1.1 4  wll  ha  friend 


CONSTRUCTING    BRIDGES. 


245 


1  now  increased  the  length  to  16  feet,  and  watched 
her  while  she  made  thirty  journeys  backwards  and 
forwards.  She  also  brought  during  the  time  seven 
friends  with  her. 

It  surprised  me  very  much  that  she  preferred  to  go 
so  far  round  rather  than  to  face  so  short  a  drop. 

In  illustration  of  the  same  curious  foct,  I  several 
times  put  specimens  of  L.  niger  on  slips  of  glass  raised 
only  one-third  of  an  inch  from  the  surfiice  cf  the  nest. 
They  remained  sometimes  three  or  four  hours  running 
a]x)ut  on  the  glass,  and  at  last  seemed  to  drop  off 
accidentally. 

Myrmica  ru()iuodh<  has  the  same  feeling.  One 
morning,  for  instance,  I  placed  one  in  an  isohited 
positi(^>n,  but  so  that  she  could  escape  by  dropping  one- 
third  of  an  inch.  Nevertheless  at  the  same  hour  on 
the  following  morning  she  was  still  in  captivity,  having 
remained  out  twenty-four  hours  rather  than  let  herself 
down  this  little  distance. 

Again  I  filled  a  saucer  (woodcut.  Fig.  11,  s)  with 
water  and  put  in  it  a  block  of  wood  (w),  on  the  top  of 
which  1  fastened  a  projecting  wooden  rod  (h),  on  the 
end  of  which  1  placed  a  shallow  glass  cell  (a)  containing 
several  hundred  larvae.  From  this  cell  I  allowed  a  slip 
of  i>aper  (^p)  to  hang  down  to  within  ^^  of  an  inch 
of  the  upper  surface  of  th<i  nest.  At  one  side  I  put 
another  block  of  wood  (c)  with  a  hiteral  projection 
(r)  which  hung  over  the  cell  containing  the  larvae. 
1  then  made  a  connexion  between  D  and  a,  so  that  ants 


i.'atf-lTjl^.JiS"    *i3."l»'*y-»_ 


240 


WANT   OF   INGENUITY 


could  ascend  c,  and,  passing  over  D,  descend  upon  the 
larvu3.  I  then  put  some  specimens  of  Lasius  nlger  to 
the  larvae,  and  soon  a  large  number  of  ants  were  en- 
gaged in  carrying  off  the  larvae.  When  this  had  con- 
tinued for  about  three  hours,  I  raised  D  -\  of  an  inch 
above  A.  The  ants  kept  on  coming  and  tried  hard  to 
reach  down  from  D  to  a,  which  was  only  just  out  of 
their  reach.  Two  or  three,  in  leaning  over,  lost  their 
foothold  and  dropped  into  the  larvae;  but  this  was 
obviously  an  accident;  and  after  a  while  they  all  gave 
up  their  efforts,  and  went  away,  losing  their  prize,  in 
spite  of  most  earnest  efforts,    rather  than  drop  ,»,  of 

an  inch. 

Fig.  11. 


A  * -np' 


=1 


At  the  moment  when  the  separation  was  made  there 
were  fifteen  ants  on  the  larvae.  These  could,  of  course, 
have  returned  if  one  had  stood  still  and  allowed  the 
others  to  get  on  its  back.  This,  however,  did  not 
occur  to  them  ;  nor  did  they  think  of  letting  themselves 
drop  from  the  bottom  of  the  paper  on  to  the  nest. 
Two  or  three,  indeed,  fell  down,  I  have  no  doubt,  by 
accident ;  but  the  remainder  wandered  alDout,  until  at 
length  most  of  them  got  into  the  water.  After  a  time 
the  others  abandoned  altogether  as  hopeless  the  attempt 
to  g'^t  at  the  larvae. 

I  waited  about  six  hours,  and  then  agnin  placed  I  hi! 


IN   CONSTRUCTING   BRIDGES. 


247 


r'l 


glass  (a)  containing  the  larvae  so  as  to  touch  the  piece 
of  wood  (d),  and  again  put  some  ants  to  the  larvae. 
Soon  a  regular  string  of  ants  was  established ;  when  I 
again  raised  the  wood  (d)  j\  of  an  inch  above  the  glass 
(a),  exactly  the  same  result  occurred.  The  ants  bent 
over  and  made  every  effort  to  reach  the  larvae,  but  did 
not  drop  themselves  down,  and  after  a  while  again 
abandoned  all  hope  of  getting  the  larvae. 

In  order  to  test  their  intelligence,  it  has  always 
seemed  to  me  that  there  was  no  better  way  than  to 
ascertain  some  object  which  they  would  clearly  desire, 
and  then  to  interpose  some  obstacle  which  a  little 
ingenuity  would  enable  them  to  overcome.  Following 
u[),  then,  the  preceding  observations,  I  placed  some 
larvae  in  a  cup  which  I  put  on  a  slip  of  glass  surrounded 
by  water,  but  accessible  to  the  ants  by  one  pathway  in 
which  was  a  bridiije  consisting  of  a  strip  of  paper  § 
inch  long  and  ^  inch  wide.  Having  then  put  a  Lasms 
niger  from  one  of  my  nests  to  these  larvae,  she  began 
carrying  them  off,  and  by  degrees  a  number  of  friends 
came  to  help  her.  I  then,  when  about  twenty-five  ants 
were  so  engaged,  moved  the  little  paper  bridge  slightly, 
so  as  to  leave  a  chasm,  just  so  wide  that  the  ants  conld 
not  reach  across.  They  came  and  tried  hard  to  do  so ; 
but  it  did  not  occur  to  them  to  push  the  paper  bridge, 
thoui;h  the  distnnce  was  only  ahout-  }^  incli,  and  they 
might  easily  have  done  so.  After  trying  for  about  a 
quart <T  of  an  hour,  they  gave  up  the  attempt  and  re- 
turned home.     This  T  rcjK'atcd  several  timet 


^VSetJi  ,s*-^^iaPISJ'fStKt  sv  '■dBr-r**«wl«^  *whn 


248 


WANT  OF  INGENUITY 


Then,  thinking  that  paper  was  a  substance  to  which 
they  were  not  accustomed,  I  tried  the  same  with  a  bit 
of  straw  1  inch  long  and  J  inch  wide.  The  result  was 
the  same.     I  repeated  this  more  than  once. 

Again  I  suspended  some  honey  over  a  nest  of 
Lasius  jiavus  at  a  height  of  about  ^  an  inch,  and 
accessible  only  by  a  paper  bridge  more  than  10  feet 
long.  Undjr  the  glass  I  then  placed  a  small  heap  of 
earth.  The  ants  soon  swarmed  over  the  earth  on  to  the 
glass,  and  began  feeding  on  the  honey.  I  then 
removed  a  little  of  the  earth,  so  that  there  was  an 
interval  of  about  ^  of  an  inch  between  the  glass  and 
the  earth ;  but,  though  the  distance  was  so  small,  they 
would  not  jump  down,  but  preferred  to  go  round  by  the 
long  bridge.  They  tried  in  vain  to  stretch  up  from  the 
earth  to  the  glass,  which,  however,  was  just  out  of  their 
reach,  though  they  could  touch  it  with  their  antenna? ; 
but  it  did  not  occur  to  them  to  heap  tlie  earth  up  a 
little,  though  if  they  had  meved  only  half  a  dozen 
particles  of  earth  they  would  have  secured  for  them- 
selves direct  access  to  the  food.  This,  however,  never 
occurred  to  them.  At  length  they  gave  up  all  attempts 
to  reach  up  to  the  glass,  and  went  round  by  the  paper 
bridge.  I  left  the  arrangement  for  several  weeks,  but 
they  continued  to  go  round  by  the  long  paper  bridge. 

Again  I  varied  the  experiment  as  follows;  — Having 
left  a  nest  withojit  food  for  a  short  time,  I  placed  some 
honey  on  a  small  wooden  brick  surrounded  by  a  little 
moat  of  glycerine    i  an    inch   wide  and    about   /^  of 


IN   CONSTRUCTING   EARTIlWOllK.S. 


249 


an  incli  in  depth.  Over  this  moat  I  then  [»laced  a 
paper  bridge,  one  end  of  which  rested  on  some  fm(3 
mould.  I  then  put  an  ant  to  the  honey,  and  soon  a 
little  crowd  was  collected  round  it.  1  then  removed 
the  paper  bridge ;  the  ants  could  not  cross  the 
glycerine  ;  they  came  to  the  edge  and  walked  round  and 
round,  but  were  unable  to  get  across,  nor  did  it  occur 
to  them  to  make  a  bridge  or  bank  across  the  glycerine 
with  the  mould  which  I  had  })laced  so  conveniently  for 
them.  I  was  the  more  surprised  at  tiiis  on  account  of 
the  ingenuity  with  which  they  avail  themselves  of  earth 
for  constructing  their  nests.  For  instance,  wishing,  if 
possible,  to  avoid  the  trouble  of  frequently  moistening 
the  earth  in  my  nests,  I  supi)lied  one  of  myconnnunities 
of  lAtstAis  jiavits  with  a  frame  containing,  instead  of 
earth,  a  piece  of  linen,  one  portion  of  which  projected 
beyond  the  frame  and  was  immersed  in  water.  The 
linen  then  sucked  up  the  water  by  capillary  attraction, 
and  thus  the  air  in  the  frame  was  kept  moist.  The 
ants  api)rov('d  of  this  arrangement,  and  took  up  their 
quarters  in  the  frame.  To  minimize  evaporation  I 
usually  closed  the  frames  all  round,  leaving  only  one  or 
two  small  o[)enings  for  the  ants,  but  in  this  case  I  left 
th«'  outer  side  of  the  frame  oj>eii.  The  ants,  however, 
did  iiol  like  being  I  Inis  exposed  ;  they  (luM-efore  brought 
earth  fioin  some  little  distance,  and  l)nilt  np  a  regular 
wall  along  the  o[>en  side,  ])loeking  up  tii<'  space  between 
liie  tq>per  and  lower  plates  of  glass,  and  leaving  only 
one  or  two  small  o[»enings  for  tlicniselves.     This  struck 

18 


tj"ifj:.-ujifj 


250 


INGENUIIY   IN    IJUILDING    NKSTS. 


me  as  very  ingenious.  The  same  expedient  was,  m(»re- 
over,  repeated  under  similar  circumstances  by  llie 
»]i»'%     belonging  to  my  nest  of  Polyerfjus, 

The  facility  or  difficulty  with  which  ants  find  their 
way,  while  it  partly  falls  within  the  section  of  the 
subject  dealing  with  their  organs  of  sense,  is  also 
closely  connected  with  the  question  of  their  general 
intelligence. 

Partly,  then,  in  order  to  test  how  far  they  are 
guided  by  sight,  partly  to  test  their  intelligence,  1 
made  various  observations  and  experiments,  the  ac- 
companying woodcuts  being  reduced  copies  of  tracings 
of  some  of  the  routes  followed  by  the  auts  during  the 
course    of  the  observations. 

I  may  here  note  that  the  diagrams  Figs.  12-17  are 
careful  reductions  of  large  tracings  made  during  the 
experiments.  Though  not  absolutely  correct  in  every 
minute  detail  of  contour,  they  are  exact  for  all  practical 
purposes.  As  the  auts  i)ursued  their  way,  pencil-mark- 
iuf^s  in  certain  instances,  and  coloured  lines  in  others, 
were    made    so   as    to    follow  consecutively   the   paths 

pursued. 

Experbnent  1. — February.  On  a  table  comnmni- 
catirig  with  one  of  ujy  nests  (see  l''ig.  12)1  phiccd  in»right 
a  common  I'vliudrical  le:id  prii»il  [  inch  in  diann'ter 
and  7  inches  long,  fastmed  wi(h  sealing-wax  to  a 
penny  piece.  Close  to  the  base  of  the  pencil  (a)  I 
brought  the  end  of  a  p:iper  bridge  (u)  leading  to  the 
tiest,aud   then   placed  a   shallow  glass  with  larv;e  ut  C, 


DIFFICULTY   IN   FINDING   WAY. 


25\ 


4  inches  tVom  the  base  of  the  pencil.  I  then  put  an 
ant  to  the  larvje  ;  when  she  had  become  acquainted 
wit  h  the  road,  she  went  very  straight,  as  is  shown  in 
the  woodcut  ^Fig.  12).  In  one  case^  at  the  point  E,  she 
dto[>ped  her  larva  and  returned  for  another.      VVln'ii 


Koutes  followt'd  in  experiment  No.  1,  as  detailed  above. 

A,  posiiioM  of  pencil,  li,  paper  bridijre.  c  and  u.Lrlit^s  with  l;irv:o. 
C.  point  wlu'ie  larva  <lropj)ed,  the  oppusitu  arrow  and  loop  niarkiniJ 
return  route.  1,  2,  15,  4,  eoniparativrly  t»trai,Lrht.  pal  h.s  to  the  ;,d.»ss. 
5,  5,  circuitou.s  route  on  shiltinj,^  of  glass.    ^,  tlillerenl  iuicess  to  ne>t. 

she  returned  on  the  next  joiuney  and  was  on  the  glass, 
I  moved  it  3  inches,  to  D,  so  that  the  end  of  the  glass 
was  6  inches  from  the  base  of  the  pencil.  If  slie  were 
nuu-h  guided  by  sight,  then  she  would  have  had  litth* 


2.VJ 


DIITICULTY    IN 


or  no  difficulty  in  finding  licr  way  back.  Her  pathway, 
however  (No.  5),  which  is  traced  on  the  paper,  shows 
that  she  was  completely  abroad  ;  and,  after  all,  she  got 
huck  to  the  uest  by  a  different  route. 


Fi^.  IH. 


Koules  follownl  in  exf)«»n(iMTit  No.  2,  us  mentioned  in  tcxi 

IJ,  paper  briil<^e  leading'  to  nest.  C.  fjlass  tniy  with  larv;u,  i>»  its 
fiist  position  ;  and  D  in  it-  position  wtu-n  sliiftcd,  1,  2,  IJ,  4,  thin 
white  lines  indicjiting  the  coniparativf-ly  straight  routes.  5,  thitk 
«Nliite  line,  and  r»,  dotted  line  showini^'  tortuous  paihs  when  glass  had 
•von  alter*^!  in  p<^si^ion.     Thr  arrows  indicate  directions  travelhrd 


FINDING   TUEIR  WAY. 


253 


i 


1  then  varied  the  experiment  as  subjoined,  and  as 
shown  in  the  woodcut  (Fig.  13), 

Experl'inent  2. — I  connected  the  table  with  tl  e 
nest  by  a  j)aper  Inidge,  the  end  of  which  is  showD. 
at  15  (Fig.  13),  and  which  came  down  about  an  inch 
from  the  jK)le  supporting  the  nest  (see  Fig.  1).  This 
poU;  rose  18  inches  above  the  table.  I  then  put  the 
glass  tray  (c)  with  larv;i3  as  before,  12  inches  from 
the  bas(^  of  the  pole,  and  put  an  ant  to  the  larvne. 
When  she  had  learnt  her  way  I  traced  four  of  her 
routes,  as  shown  in  the  thin  lines  1,  2,  3,  4.  I  then 
on  lior  next  journey  (5,  thick  white  line),  when  she 
was  on  the  tray  (c),  moved  it  three  inches  to  D,  as 
shown  in  the  figure,  and  agjtin  traced  her  route.  The 
contrast  is  very  striking  between  th(;  relatively  straight 
thin  w)^it<'  lines  1,  2,  3,  4  of  the  four  journeys  when 
familiar  with  the  road;  wlu^reas  in  the  broad  white  line 
No.  5  the  zigzag  twistings  show  how  uAUeh  difficulty 
the  ant  experienced  in  finding  her  way.  When  she  re- 
turned I  again  moved  tlie  tray  as  before,  and  the  dotted 
sinuous  white  line  (6)  shows  the  course  she  followed. 

Experiment  3. — I  then  again  v«,ried  the  experi- 
ment as  follows: — I  placed  the  larv;e  in  a  small  china 
cup  on  the  top  of  the  pencil,  which  thus  formed  a 
column  7 A  inches  high.  Tlu*  cross  line  close  to  the 
arrows  ( l^'ig.  1 4 )  is  as  before,  the  base  f>f  tl;e  paper  bridge 
leading  to  the  tn'st.  C  shows  the  ])ositinn  of  the  penny 
on  which  the  pencil  was  suj)ported.  'J'he  dotted  white 
lines  1,  2,  3,4  show  the  routes  of  a  marked  ant  on  four 


}i&i'.^r^'    'J  1^  ""..*:»■' 


2')4 


SIGHT   LITTLE   USED 


successive  journeys  from  (he  nest  to  the  base  of  the 
pencil.  I  then  moved  the  pencil  6  inches  to  D,  and 
the  two  following  routes  are  marked  5  and  6.  In  one 
of  them,  5  (thick  white  line),  the  ant  found  a  stray 

Fig.  U 


Uoutcs  followed  in  exfji-niuont  No.  3,  as  ilescriUod  in  loxt 

The  line  at  tlie  six  arrows  represents  a  paper  bridge  f^oinij  to  nest 
c,  china  cup  on  top  of  pencil,  d,  pencil  moved.  E,  place  where 
a  «tray  larva  was  found.  1,  2,  3,  4,  dotted  lines  show  the  nearly 
direct  journeys.  5,  thick  white  line  (crossing  c  in  l.lack)  of  rout«i 
leturninp^  to  nest,  tlie  ant  havin^j  pit-ked  tip  a  stray  larva  at  R.  6, 
very  circuitous  thin  white  line  of  track  from  nest  to  |>cncil  d. 


IN   FINDING    TIIEin   WAY 


2  oft 


.arva  at  E,  with  wliich  she  returned  to  the  nest,  without 

finding  the  pencil  at  all.     On  the  following  journey, 

shown  in  the  fine  white  zigzag  line  (6),  she  found  the 

pencil   at  last,  but,  as  will   be  seen,  only  after  many 

meanderings. 

Fig.   15 


Diagram  of  complex  path  traversed  in  cxiK-rimcnt  4. 

A,  lirst  position  of  jx'ncil.  n,  second  position  of  pencil.  1.1?, 
St  raiphl  lines  of  two  tracks  of  the  ol)servc(l  ants.  3,  windint,^  narrow 
white  line,  showin.ij  course  pursued  hy  the  same  ant  l>cfore  arriving 
Ml  i;  when  the  iK)sition  of  the  pencil  was  unchauijcd. 

K.citeriineni    4.— T    then   repeated  the  observation 


2r)r) 


SIGHT   LITTLE   USED 


on  three  other  ants  (see  Figs.  l.)-17)  with  the  sanit- 
result:  the  second  was  7  minutes  before  she  found  the 
pencil,  and  at  last  seemed  to  do  so  accidentally :  the 
third  actually  wandered  abo'it  for  no  less  than  liilf  an 
hour  (FiiT.  15),  returning  up  the  paper  bridge  several 
times. 

()th<»r   experimenrs   somewhat    similar  to   the    pre. 

Fig.  If,. 


Di.'i^^ram  representing  three  tracks  of  an  ant  in  another  oxj.enniet.r 

A,  the  first  position  of  j)encil  and  the  food,  towards  which  and 
from  tlie  base-line  of  nest  1  and  2  lead  by  nearly  direct  hroadi.-li 
wMtc  lines  to  a.  When  the  latter  was  removed  to  n  the  ant,  in  it  a 
effort  to  reach  this,  pursued  the  narrow  white  win«ling  line  ending 
in  3  -► 

ceding,  the  results  of  which  are  shown  in  the  fitrnrea 
16  and  1 7,  seem  to  prove  that  this  species  of  ant,  at  anj 


IN    FINDING    THEIR   WAY. 


2:u 


rate,  guides  itself  but  little  by  sight.  This,  which  I 
had  not  at  all  anticipated,  seems  to  follow  from  the 
fact  that  after  the  pencil  and  tray  of  larvae  had  been 
removed  but  a  short  distance  to  the  right  or  left,  the 


Ficr.  17. 


AnotlHT  tracing  showintra  similar  ex[>('riinent,  1,  2,  3,  thodinct 
hroad  lines  towanls  a;  an<l  I,  th«'  ci>iM}>li(;ated  track  Kiade  when 
re.scrvoir  of  larv:c  was  removed  to  B. 

ants  on  their  journey  to  the  shifted  object  travelled 
vf  ry  often  backwards  and  forwards  and  around  the  spot 
where  the  coveted  object  first  stood.  Then  they  would 
retrace  their  steps  towards  the  nest,  wander  hither  and 


'•''^"■i^sSSMHi^as^*--  ■^  l.v.^^•s:^»sJ^.^^p^'^^S!K»#)*'^fft^*^J^«''5^ 


i'iai&tigi*' 


258 


nirORTANCE  OF  SCENT. 


thither  from  side  to  side  between  the  nest  and  the 
point  A,  and  only  after  very  repeated  efforts  around  the 
original  site  of  the  larvaj  reach,  as  it  were  accidenudly, 
the  object  desired  at  u. 

Another  evidence  of  this  consists  in  the  fact  that  if 
when  ants  (L.  nirjer)  were  carrying  off  larvae  placed  in  a 
cup  on  a  piece  of  board,  I  turned  the  board  round  so  that 
the  side  which  had  been  turned  towards  the  nest  was 
away  from  it,  and  vice  versa,  the  ants  always  returned 
over  the  same  track  on  the  board,  and,  in  consequence, 
directly  away  from  home. 

If  I  moved  the  board  to  the  other  side  of  my 
nrtificial  nest,  the  result  was  the  same.  Evidently  they 
followed  the  road,  not  the  direction. 

In  order  furtlier  to  test  how  far  ants  are  guided  by 
sight  and  how  much  by  scent,  I  tried  the  following  ex- 
perimentwith  Lasiusnitjer.  Some  fo<Ml  was  put  out  at 
tl«e  point  a  on  a  board  measuring  20  inches  by  12  (Fig. 

18),  and  so  arranged 
that  the  ants  in  going 
straight  to  it  from  the 
nest  would  reach  the 
board  at  the  point  A, 
and  after  j)assing  under 
a  paper  t  unnel,c,  would 
proceed  between  five 
pairs  of  wooden  bricks,  each  .'J  inches  in  length  and  IJ 
in  height.  When  they  got  to  know  their  way,  they  went 
quite  straight  along  the  line  d  e  to  a.     The  beard  was 


[MrORTANCL   OF  SCENT. 


2:)9 


Fi^.  IV. 


then  twisted  as  shown  in  Fig.  19.  The  bricks  and  tunnel 
being  also  rearranged  so  that  they  were  exactly  in  the 
samedirection  as  before,  but  the  board  having  been  moved, 
the  line  d  e  was  now  outside  th.'U).  This  change, hosvever, 
did  not  at  all  discom- 
pose the  ants ;  but 
instead  of  going,  as 
before,  through  the 
tunnel  and  between 
the  rows  of  bricks 
to  a,  they  walked 
ex.actly  along  the 
old  ])ath  to  e. 

I  then  arranged 
matters  as  before, 

but  without  the  tunnel  and  with  only  \hvve  pairs  of 
bricks  (Fig.  20).  When  an  ant  had  got  quite  used  to  the 
path  d  to  r,  I  aUered 
the  position  of  the 
bricks  and  food,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  21,  mak- 
ing a  (lifTerence  of  8 
inches  in  the  ])osition 
of  the  latter.  The  ant 
came  as  before,  walked 
up  to  the  fust  l^rick, 

touched  it  with  her  antenna*,  but  tl^en  followed  her  old 
line  to  a.  Fiom  there  she  veered  towards  the  food,  and 
very  socm  fountl   it.     When  she  was  gone,  1  altered  it 


Fi^.  20. 


«/; 

III 

II 

II 

UALI 

200 


THE  SENSE   OF  DIREC'IION. 


a.|nain,  ns  shown  ir.  Finr.  22  ;  she  roturn(Ml  .-iflcr  the  usual 

interA'al,  and  went  again  straight  to  a  ;  then,  after  some 

wanderings,  to  /,  and 
at  length,  but  only 
after  a  lapse  of  25 
minutes,  found  the 
food  at  g.  These  ex- 
periments w^ere  re- 
peated more  than  once, 
and  always  with  sinn- 
lar  results.  I  then 
-  varied  matters  by  re- 
moving the  bricks, 
which,  however,di(l  not 
seem  to  make  any  dif- 
ference to  the  ants. 

I  then  accustome«l 
some  ants  (A>«^f.s/</.s  oil- 

(jpv)  to  go  to  and  fro  over  a  wooden  bridg<',  />,r  ( 1^'ig.  2;>), 

to  some  food. 

Fig.  23. 
I  c 


<^ 


L' 


a 


I 


When  they  had  got  quite  accustomed  to  the  way,  I 
wntched  when  an  ant  was  on  \\w  bridge  and  then  turned 
it  round,  so  that  the  end  b  was  at  r,  and  c  at  b.  In 
most  cases  the  ant  immediately  turned  round  also;  but 
even  if  she  went  on   to  b  or  c,  as  the  ease   may  b?,  ,\% 


EXPERIMENTS. 


261 


Boon  as  she  came  to  the  end  of  the  bridge  she  turned 
round. 

1  tlieu  modified  the  arraugeuu'ut,  placing  between 
the  nest  and  the  food  three  similar  pieces  of  wood. 
Then  when  the  ant  was  on  the  middle  piece,  I  trans- 
|H>sed  the  other  two.  To  my  surprise  this  did  not  at 
all  disconcert  them. 

I  then  tried  the  arrangement  shown  in  Fig.  24. 

Fig.  24. 


a  is  a  paper  bridge  leading  to  the  nest ;  6  is  a  board 
a!»out  22  inches  long  by  13  broad,  on  which  is  a  disk  of 
white  paper  fastened  at  the  centre  by  a  pin  cZ ;  e  is 
some  food.  When  the  ants  had  come  to  know  their  way 
8o  that  they  passed  straight  over  the  pai)er  disk  on  their 
way  from  a  to  <^,  1  moved  the  disk  round  with  an  ant 
on  it,  so  that  /  cjime  to  g  and  g  to/.  As  before,  the 
ants  turned  round  with  the  paper. 

As  it  mi'dit  be  i)ossible  that  the  ants  turned 
round  on  account  of  the  changed  relative  position 
of  external  objects,  1  next  substituted  a  circular 
bo.K    12    inches    in    diameter,    open    ut    the     top,  and 


2f»2 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH 


7  inches  high  (in  fad,  a  1 1  at -box)  for  the  flat  paj^-r, 
cutting  two  small  holes  at  /  and  rj^  so  that  the  ants 
passing  from  the  nest  to  the  food  went  through  the  box 
entering  at/  and  coming  out  at  //.     The  box  was  lixed 


Fig.  25. 


D 


L... 


at  d,  so  that  it  might  turn  easily.  1  then,  whin  tlpy 
had  got  to  know  their  way,  turned  the  box  round  as 
soon  as  an  ant  had  entered  it,  but  in  every  case  th«j 


Fig   20. 


:0 


L. 


ant  turned  round  too,  thus  retaining  her  direction.     1 

then  varied  the  experiment  as  shown  in  Figs.  25  and  2G. 

I  replaced  the   white   disk  of  paper,   but  i)ut  the 

f(K)d  e  at  the  middle  of  the  board.      When  the  ant  had 


ROTATING   DISKS. 


2r>3 


tjot  used  to  this  arrangement  I  waited  till  one  was  on 
the  disk  f  Fig.  2.3)  and  then  gently  drew  it  to  the  other 
side  of  p,  as  shown  in  Fig.  26.  In  this  case,  however, 
the  ant  did  not  turn  round,  but  went  on  to  r/,  when  she 
seemed  a  good  deal  sur[)rised  at  finding  where  she  was. 
In  continuation  of  the  preceding  ex])erinu'nts  I 
constructed  a  circular  table  18  inclies  in  diameter. 
It  consisted,  as  shown  in  Figs.  27  and  28,  of  three 
concentric  pieces— a  central  F  G,  an  intermediate 
D  K,  II    I,  and  an  outer  piece  w  C,  K  L,  each   of  these 


Fig.  'I'i 


M 


//   c 


11 


D     C 

"IT 


c 


mi 


three  pieces  being  capable  of  separate  rotation.  Tlda 
arrangement  was  kindly  devised  for  me  by  j\Ir.  Francis 
Galton. 

I  then  connected  the  table  with  a  nest  of  Las'ias 
niijiir  by  a  paper  bridge  A,  and  also  made  a  paper  path 
acrc»ss  the  table,  as  shown  in  Fig.  28,  divided  into  five 
pieces  corresponding  to  the  divisions  of  the  table. 
This  I  did  because  I  found  that  tlui  ants  wandered  less 
if  they  were  provided  with  a  paper  road  than  if  they 
walked  actually  on  the  wood  itself.  I  then  }»lac<'d  a 
oup  containing  larvajon  the  table  at  ]},  and  put  an  ant  on 


.■jit'-^-»-VUa»».s* .  o .      --■rf;..atV<8>Wiaifel«h^^t.<i^'>>iaig.^aiafca« 


irA 


EXPERIMENTS  WlTir 


the  larvi-c.  She  at  once  picked  one  up,  and,  with  some 
little  guidance  from  me,  carried  it  oiY  to  the  nest, 
returning  at  once  for  another,  bringing  some  frienda 
with  her  to  help.  When  she  knew  her  way,  I  gradually 
moved  the  cup  across  the  table  along  the  paju  r  j»ath 

Fig.  2S. 


to  Af,  placing  it  on  a  cohnini  live  inches  high.  Aftri 
a  while  the  ants  came  to  know  (lie  way  cpiite  well, 
and  passed  straight  along  the  |)a(]»  from  the  nest  to 
the  la r Vie  at  M.  Having  thus  established  a  service  o\ 
ants.  1  tried  tlie  following  e.\])rrirnents : — 

1.    1    removed  the  i)iece  of  i)aper  G  1.       This  dis- 


ROTATING    TABLE. 


2G5 


turbed    them  ;    but  they  very  soon  re-established  the 
chain. 

2.  I  turned  round  the  central  piece  of  the  table  o 
F,  so  that  the  paper  G  F  was  reversed,  G  being  where 
F  had  been,  and  vice  versa.  This  did  not  seem  to 
diconcert  the  ants  at  all.  They  went  straight  over 
the  paper  as  before,  without  a  moment's  hesitation. 

3.  When  some  ants  were  between  I  and  D,  I  rotated 
the  outer  circle  of  the  table  halfway  round,  which  of 
course  carried  the  cup  containing  the  larvae  from  L  to  b. 
The  ants  took  no  notice  of  this,  but  went  straight  to  L. 

4.  When  some  ants  were  between  i  and  D,  I  rotated 
the  table  several  times,  bringing  it  finally  to  its 
original  position.  This  disturbed  them  a  good  deal ; 
but  eventually  they  all  continued  their  com-se  to  L. 

5.  When  some  ants  were  between  i  and  D,  I  half 
rotated  the  two  centre  parts  of  the  table,  the  result  of 
which,  of  course,  was  that  the  ant  was  moving  to- 
wards, instead  of  away  from,  the  nest.  In  every  case 
the  ants  turned  round  too,  so  as  duly  to  reach  L.  So 
also  those  which  were  on  their  way  back  from  the 
larva3  to  the  nest  turned  in  the  same  manner. 

6.  When  the  ants  were  between  i  and  D,  I  half 
rotated  the  whole  table.  Again  the  ants  turned  round 
too,  thougli  of  course  in  this  case,  when  they  reached 
the  place  where  L  had  been,  the  cup  with  the  larvse 
was  behind  them  at  B. 

The  two  latter  experiments,  though  quite  in  accord- 
ance with  thoFe  previously  made,  puzzled  me  a  good 
19 


■  J  J  -tKT...-  ■■  jviAi^  ii&iut  ■jTn'jSX.aM 


266 


EXPERIMENTS   WITH 


deal.  Experiment  3,  as  well  as  some  of  those  recorded 
previously,  seemed  to  show  that  ants  were  little  guided 
in  such  cases  by  the  position  of  surrounding  objects. 
However,  I  was  anxious  to  test  this. 

7.  Accordingly  I  took  a  round  box  and  placed  it 
upside  down  on  the  table,  having  cut  two  niches,  one 
at  each  side,  where  it  lay  on  the  paper  path,  so  as  to 
afford  a  passage  for  the  ants,  as  in  the  experiments 
recorded  in  my  previous  paper ;  but  on  this  occasion  I 
left  the  lid  on,  cutting,  however,  a  hole  through  which 
I  could  watch  the  result.  In  this  case,  therefore,  the 
surrounding  objects,  i.e.  the  walls  of  the  box,  turned 
round  with  the  table.  Then,  as  before,  when  the  ants 
were  between  i  and  D,  I  turned  the  table  half  round. 
The  results  were  as  follo«vs: — 


Ants  wliich 

Ants  wljich 

turiicHl 

did  not  turn 

Experiment  1 

■  •  ■ 

1 

2 

2 

•  •  • 

1 

1 

3 

•  •  • 

I 

1 

4 

•  •  • 

4 

2 

5 

... 

0 

1 

fi 

•  •  • 

0 

1 

7 

•  •  • 

0 

8 

8 

•  •  • 

1 

1 

0 

•  a  • 

0 

1 

10 

•  ■  • 

2 

2 

11 

•  •  • 

1 

1 

12 

•  •  • 

0 

3 

11 

19 

In  this  case,  then,  only  11  ants  turned;  and  as  i 
of  them  were  together,  it  is  possible   that   3  simply 


A  ROTATING   BOX. 


267 


followed  the  first.  Moreover,  the  ants  which  turned 
did  so  with  much  more  hesitation  and  less'immediately, 
8.  For  comparison,  I  then  again  tried  the  same 
experiment,  but  without  the  box.  The  results  were  as 
follows : — 


Ants  wliich 

Ants  which 

turned 

did  not  turn 

Observation  1 

3 

0 

2      ... 

3 

0 

3      ... 

3 

1? 

4      ... 

3 

0 

5      ... 

4 

0 

6      ... 

4 

0 

20 

1 

Under  these  circumstances,  therefore,  all  the  ants 
but  one  certainly  turned,  and  her  movements  were 
undecided. 

From  these  last  two  experiments  it  is  obvious  that 
the  presence  of  the  box  greatly  affected  the  result,  and 
yet  the  previous  results  made  it  difficult  to  suppose 
that  the  ants  noticed  any  objects  so  distant  as  the  walls 
of  the  rooms,  or  even  as  I  was  myself.  The  result 
surprised  me  considerably  ;  but  I  think  the  explanation 
is  given  by  the  following  experiments. 

I  again  put  some  larva3  in  a  cup,  which  I  placed  in 
the  centre  of  the  table  ;  and  I  let  out  an  ant  which  I 
had  imprisoned  after  the  previous  experiments,  placing 
her  in  the  cup  ;  she  carried  off  a  larva  to  the  nest  and 
soon  returned.  When  she  was  again  in  the  cup  I  half 
rotated  the  table :  when  she  came  out  she  seemed  a 


268 


EFFECT  OF   LIGHT. 


little  surprised ;  but  after  walking  once  round  the  cnp, 
started  off  along  the  paper  bridge  straight  home. 
When  she  returned  to  the  cup  I  again  half  rotated  the 
tiible.  This  time  she  went  back  quite  straight  Wh-Bn 
she  had  come  again,  I  once  more  half  rotated  the  titble  ; 
she  returned  quite  straight.  Again  the  same  happened. 
A  second  ant  then  came  :  I  half  rotated  the  table  as 
before.  She  went  wrong  for  about  an  inch  and  a  half, 
but  then  turned  round  and  went  straight  home. 

I  was  working  by  the  light  of  two  candles  which  were 
on  the  side  of  the  table  towards  the  nest.  The  next  time 
the  two  ants  came  1  half  rotated  the  table  as  before,  and 
moved  the  candles  to  the  far  side.  This  time  the  ants 
were  deceived,  and  followed  the  paper  bridge  to  the  end 
of  the  table  furthest  from  the  nest.  This  I  repeated  a 
second  time,  with  the  same  result.  I  then  turned  the 
table  as  before  without  altering  the  lights,  and  the 
ants  (four  of  them)  went  back  all  right.  I  then  again 
turned  the  table,  altering  the  lights,  and  the  ant  went 
wrong. 

I  then  altered  the  lights  without  rotating  the  table , 
the  first  ant  went  wrong ;  the  second  right ;  the  third 
wrong;  the  fourth  wrong;  the  fifth  hesitated  some 
seconds,  and  then  went  wrong;  the  sixth  right;  the 
seventh  went  all  but  to  the  edge  the  wrong  way,  but, 
after  various  wanderings,  at  last  went  right.  When, 
therefore,  the  direction  of  the  light  was  changed,  but 
everything  else  left  as  before,  out  of  seven  ants,  five 
were  decei\ed  and  went  in  the  wrong  direction. 

After  an  interval  of  a  work,  on  Alarch  2.5,  I  arrangi^o 


ifcaa&sagasiii,-''.. 


EFFECT   OF  LIGHT. 


269 


the  nest  and  the  rotating  table  as  before,  and  let  out 
three  ants  which  I  had  imprisoned  on  the  19th,  and 
which  knew  their  way.  I  put  them  on  the  larvae  at  M 
as  before.  The  paper  pathway  had  been  left  untouched. 
The  ants  examined  the  larvae  and  then  went  straight 
home  along  the  paper  path ;  but,  to  my  surprise,  only 
one  of  them  carried  off  a  larva.  Nevertheless  they 
had  evidently  taken  the  news  to  the  nest,  for  the  ants 
at  once  began  coming  to  the  cup  in  considerable  num- 
bers and  carrying  ofif  the  larva?.  I  do  not  altogether 
understand  this  proceeding,  and  unluckily  had  not 
marked  the  first  three  ants  ;  so  that  I  cannot  tell 
whether  they  brought  or  sent  their  friends.  It  seems 
possible  that  they  felt  unequal  to  the  exertion  of  carrying 
a  burthen  to  the  nest  until  they  had  had  some  food. 

When  the  ants  were  fairly  at  work  I  turned  the 
table  90  degrees.  In  this  case  eight  ants  which  were 
on  their  way  to  the  larvie  continued  their  march  alonj? 
the  paper,  while  two  turned  back  ;  but  none  left  the 
paper  and  went  across  the  table  straight  for  the  larva'. 

I  then  stopped  the  experiment  for  a  while,  so  that 
the  excitement  might  subside ;  as  when  the  ants 
become  too  numerous  it  is  not  so  easy  to  watch  them. 

When  all  was  quiet  I  put  the  cup  with  the  larvae 
on  the  middle  of  the  table,  and  covered  the  greater 
part  of  the  table  with  the  box  as  before.  In  a  short 
time  some  ants  again  came  to  the  larvae,  and  then, 
just  as  they  were  leaving  the  cup  on  their  way  home,  I 
turned  the  table,  as  before,  half  round. 

Under   these    circumstances,   however,   instead   of 


2'JO 


RELUCTANCE  OF  ANTS 


turning  as  in  the  previous  experiment,  ten  ants,  one 
after  another,  continued  their  course,  thus  coining  out 
of  the  box  at  the  end  furthest  from  the  nest.  When 
ten  ants  successively  had,  under  these  circumstances, 
gone  wrong,  to  make  the  experiment  complete,  I  tried 
it  again,  everything  being  the  same,  except  that 
there  was  no  box.  Under  these  circumstances  five 
ants,  one  after  the  other,  turned  directly  the  table  was 
rotated. 

From  these  experiments,  therefore,  it  seems  clear 
tha^  in  determining  their  course  the  ants  are  greatly 
influenced  by  the  direction  of  the  light. 

March  27. — I  let  out  two  ants  imprisoned  on  the 
25th,  and  placed  them  on  the  larvtT,  which  I  put  on  a 
column  7  inches  high,  covered  with  blue  paper,  and 
communicating  with  the  nest  by  the  paper  path 
(a.  Fig.  29)  arranged  as  usual,  but  supported  on 
pins.  At  first  I  arranged  it  as  shown  below,  placing 
the  larvae  at    M,  on   a  table    18  inches  in   diameter, 

so  that  the  ants,  on  arriving  at 
the  larvcT,  made  nearly  a  semi- 
circle round  the  edge  of  the 
tal)le.  I  then  gradually  moved 
the  larvte  to  m'  and  afterwards 
to  m''.  The  ants,  however, 
obviously  knew  that  they  were 
going  unnecessarily  round.  They 
ran  along  the  paper  bridge  in  a  very  undecided  manner, 
continually  turning  round  and  often  coming  down  the 


Fij?.  29. 


TO  GO   OUT  OF  THEIR  WAY. 


271 


pins  ;  while  in  returning  to  the  nest  they  persistently 
came  down  the  side  of  the  pillar  nearest  to  the  nest, 
though  I  repeatedly  attempted  to  guide  them  the 
other  way.  Even  when  placed  on  the  paper  bridge 
between  M  and  m',  they  were  very  dissatisfied.  In 
£act,  it  was  obvious  that  they  knew  they  were  being 
sent  a  long  way  round,  and  were  attempting  to  make  a 

shorter  cut. 

I  then  again  placed  the  larva)  on  the  column  at 
M,  and  when  the  ants  were  once  more  going  to  and 
f.o  regularly  along  the  paper  patli,  I  altered  the 
])Osition  of  the  column  and  larvoe  to  m',  placing  the 
edge  of  the  pillar,  which  the  ants  had  been  accustomed 
to  ascend,  towards  the  paper  bridge,  connecting  it  with 
the  original  bridge  by  a  side- 
bridge  a,  M  being  an  inch  from 
the  original  bridge.  Under 
these  circumstances  three  ants 
ran  on  to  M  ;  tlu-n  two  found 
their  way  over  the  bridge  a  to 
m'.  Of  the  next  ten  ants,  five 
went  to  M  and  five  over  a  to  m'. 
The  next  ten  all  went  over  the  paper  bridge  a  to  m'. 

I  then  put  the  pillar  and  the  larvje  on  the  other  side 
of  the  original  paper  path  at  m",  connected  with  the 
main  path  by  a  short  bridge  a',  taking  for  a'  a  new 
piece  of  paper,  so  that  scent  would  be  no  guide.  I  left 
the  little  bndge  a  in  its  place.  The  ants  went  aa 
follows : — 


Fig.  30. 


f  t»<!P*"™  •*!  ■'"♦•—'IV 1  .imt  <• 


''^■'■iir-KV   - 


a'-ftWTs^atBs  *■ 


272 


ANTS  TO  SO]ME  EXTENT 


GUIDED  BY  SIGHT. 


273 


To  m' 


0 


To  m' 

0 

M 

0 

« 

0 

J> 

0 

>5 

1 

J» 

0 

» 

0 

5» 

0 

»J 

0 

55 

0 

55 

1 

55 

1 

55 

0 

To  M    0 


0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

12 


3 


It  seems  clear,  therefore,  that  though  the  ants  did 
not  trust  so  much  to  their  eyes  as  a  man  would  have 
done  under  similar  circumstances,  yet  that  they  were 
to  some  extent  guided  by  sight. 

I  then  removed  all  the  paper  pathways  and  put  the 
Fig.  31.  pillar  to  M.     Of  the  first  two  ants 

which  came  to  the  table,  the  first 
found  the  pillar  in  five  minutes, 
the  second,  after  wandering  about 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  gave  the 
search  up  in  despair,  and  went 
home.  I  then  moved  the  pillar 
to  m',  and  watched  the  next  ant 
that  came  on  to  the  table ;  she  found  it  in  a  minute  or 


two.  I  then  moved  it  to  m''.  Two  ants  came  together. 
One  found  the  pillar  in  7  minutes ;  the  other  took  no 
less  than  25,  although,  as  already  mentioned,  the  table 
was  only  18  inches  in  diameter.  Obviously,  therefore, 
though  it  seems  clear  that  they  are  helped  by  sight,  still 
these  last  observations  support  those  previously  re- 
corded,  and  show  that  in  finding  their  way  they  do 
not  derive  by  any  means  so  much  assistance  from  their 
eyes  as  we  should  under  corresponding  circumstances 


JFfeiat«-;W'*-'..aa'aiaw!»'a 


METHOD   OF  OBSEKVATION. 


275 


CIIAPTEK  X. 

BEES. 

I  ORIGINALLY  intended  to  make  my  experiment  prin- 
cipally  with  bees,  but  soon  found  that  ants  were  on  the 
whole  more  suitable  for  my  puq:)ose. 

In  the  first  place,  ants  are  much  less  excitable,  they 
are  less  liable  to  accidents,  and  from  the  absence  of 
wings  are  more  easy  to  keep  under  continuous  obser- 
vation. 

Still,  I  have  made  a  certain  number  of  observations 
with  bees,  some  of  which  may  be  worth  here  recording. 

As  already  mentioned,  the  cuiTent  statements  with 
reference  to  the  language  of  social  insects  depend  much 
on  the  fact  that  when  one  of  them,  either  by  accident  or 
in  the  course  of  its  rambles,  has  discovered  a  stock  of 
food,  in  a  very  short  time  many  others  arrive  to  pr<3fit 
by  the  discovery.  This,  however,  does  not  necessarily 
imply  any  j^ower  of  describing  localities.  If  the  bees 
or  ants  merely  follow  their  more  fortunate  comrade, 
the  matter  is  comparatively  simple;  if,  on  the  con- 
trary, others  are  sent,  the  case  becomes  very  difftirent. 

In  order  to  test  this  I  proposed  to  keep  honey  in  a 
given  place  for  some  time,  in  order  to  satisfy  myself 


that  it  would  not  readily  be  found  by  the  bees ;  and 
then,  after  bringing  a  bee  to  the  honey,  to  watch 
whether  it  brought  others,  or  sent  them -the  latter  of 
course  implying  a  much  higher  order  of  intelligence 
and  power  of  communication. 

I  therefore  placed  some  honey  in  a  glass,  close  to 
an  open  window  in  my  sitting-room,  and  watched  it  for 
sixty  hours  of  sunshine,  during  which  no  bees  came 

to  it. 

I  then,  at  10  a.m.  on  a  beautiful  morning  in  June, 
went  to  my  hives,  and  took  a  bee  which  was  just 
starting  out,  brought  it  in  my  hand  up  to  my  room 
(a  distance  of  somewhat  less  than  200  yards),  and  gave 
it  some  honey,  which  it  sucked  with  evident  enjoyment. 
After  a  few  minutes  it  flew  quietly  away,  but  did  not 
return  ;  nor  did  any  other  bee  make  its  appearance. 

The  following  morning  I  repeated  the  same  experi- 
ment. At  7.15  I  brought  up  a  bee,  which  sipped  the 
honey  with  readiness,  and  after  doing  so  for  about  four 
minutes  flew  away  with  no  appearance  of  alarm  or 
annoyance.  It  did  not,  however,  return  ;  nor  did  any 
other  bee  come  to  my  honey. 

On  several  other  occasions  I  repeated  the  same  experi- 
ments  with  a  like  result.  Altogether  I  tried  it  more  than 
twenty  times.  Indeed,  I  rarely  found  bees  to  return  to 
honey  if  brought  any  considerable  distance  at  once.  By 
taking  them,  however,  some  twenty  yards  each  time  they 
came  to  the  honey,  I  at  length  trained  them  to  come  to 
my  room.  On  the  whole,  however,  I  found  it  more  con- 


J^-^tfWtM^jjJaA^vf  ^'--^'-nA^AtJ-.  »,r.i ' iA"fli.i 


276 


BEES    DO  NOT  INVARIA13LY 


venient  to  procure  one  of  Marriott's  observatory  hives, 
both  on  account  of  its  construction,  and  also  because  I 
could  have  it  in  my  room,  and  thus  keep  the  bees  more 
immediately  under  my  own  eye.  My  room  is  square,  with 
three  windows,  two  on  the  south-west  side,  where  the  hive 
was  placed,  and  one  on  the  south-east.  Besides  the 
ordinary  entrance  from  the  outside,  the  hive  had  a  small 
postern  door  opening  into  the  room ;  this  door  was 
provided  with  an  alighting-board,  and  closed  by  a  plug  ; 
as  a  general  rule  the  bees  did  not  notice  it  much  unless 
the  passage  was  very  full  of  them. 

I  then  placed  some  honey  on  a  table  close  to  the 
hive,  and  from  time  to  time  fed  certain  bees  on  it. 
Those  which  had  been  fed  soon  got  accustomed  to  come 
for  the  honey ;  but  partly  on  account  of  my  frequent 
absence  from  home,  and  partly  from  their  difficulty 
in  finding  their  way  about,  and  their  tendency  to  lose 
themselves,  I  could  never  keep  any  marked  bee  under 
observation  for  more  than  a  few  days. 

Out  of  a  number  of  similar  observations  I  will  here 
mention  a  few  and  give  them  in  detail  in  the  Appendix, 
as  throwing  some  light  on  the  power  of  communicating 
facts  possessed  by  the  bees;  they  will  also  illustrate  the 
daily  occupations  of  a  working  bee. 

Experiment  1.— Thus,  on  August  24,  1874,  I  opened 
the  postern  door  leading  into  my  room  at  6.45  a.m.,  and 
watched  till  1  p.m.  three  bees,  which  had  been  trained 
to  come  to  honey  at  a  particular  spot.  They  did  not, 
however,  know  their  way  very  well,  and  consequently 


i'V&«Mtiii»<.«>iii!i.-»llhi''..'j;VJl.tJftjaifc«i 


BRING   FRIENDS  TO  SHARE  TREASURES. 


277 


lost  a  good  deal  of  time.  One  made  23  journeys 
bsickwards  and  forwards  between  the  hive  and  the 
honey,  the  second  13,  and  the  third  only  7. 

The  following  day  I  watched  the  first  of  these  bees 
from  7.23  to  12.54,  during  which  time  she  made  19 
journeys.  Scarcely  any  other  bees  came,  but  I  did  no^. 
record  the  exact  number. 

Experirtient  2. — I  watched  another  bee  from  6.55 
A.M.  till  7.15  P.M.,  during  which  time  she  made  59 
visits  to  the  honey,  and  only  one  other  bee  came 
to  it. 

Experiment  3. —  Another  from  7  a.m.  till  3  p.m.  ; 
she  made  40  journeys,  and  only  two  other  bees  came. 
She  returned  the  two  following  mornings,  and  was 
watched  for  three  hours  each  day,  during  which  time 
no  other  bee  came. 

Experiment  4. — Another  morning  I  watched  a  dif- 
ferent bee  from  9.19  a.m.  to  2  p.m.  :  she  made  21  jour- 
neys, and  no  other  bee  came. 

Then,  thinking  that  perhaps  this  result  might  be 
due  to  the  quantity  of  honey  being  too  small,  I  used  a 
wide-mouthed  jar,  containing  more  than  one  pound  of 

honey. 

Experiment  5. — I  watched  two  bees  from  1.44  till 
4.30,  during  which  time  they  made  24  jom'neys,  but  only 
one  other  bee  came. 

Experiment  6. —  Besides  the  honey  in  the  jar  I 
gpread  some  out  over  two  plates,  so  as  to  increase  the 
surface.     I  watched  a  bee  from  12.15  till  6.15  P.M.  She 


* .  :■   -y  ><w .  '  t    '  fcFj  .  5lfc^','!g^■^?'.^*^" 


278 


DIFFICULTY  IN 


made  28  journeys,  but  did  not  bring  a  single  friend 
with  her. 

Experiment  7. — On  July  19  I  put  a  bee  to  a  honey- 
comb which  contained  twelve  and  a  half  pounds  of  honey 
at  12.30,  and  which  was  placed  in  a  comer  of  my  room 
as  far  as  possible  from  the  window.  That  afternoon  she 
made  22  visits  to  it,  and  no  other  bee  came.  The 
following  morning  she  returned  at  6.5  A.M.,  and  I 
watched  her  till  2.  She  made  22  journeys,  but  did  not 
bring  a  single  friend  with  her. 

Experiment  8. — Another  bee  was  also  brought  to 
the  same  honeycomb,  watched  from  2.30  till  7.14.  She 
made  14  journeys,  but  did  not  bring  a  single  friend. 

I  might  give  other  similar  cases,  but  these  are,  I 
think,  sufficient  to  show  that  bees  do  not  bring  their 
friends  to  share  any  treasure  they  have  discovered,  so 
invariably  as  might  be  assumed  from  the  statements 
of  previous  observers.  Possibly  the  result  is  partly 
due  to  the  fact  that  my  room  is  on  the  first  floor,  so 
that  the  bees  coming  to  it  flew  at  a  higher  level  than 
that  generally  used  by  their  companions,  and  hence 
were  less  likely  to  be  followed. 

Indeed,  T  have  been  a  good  deal  surprised  at  the 
difficulty  which  bees  experience  in  finding  their  way. 

For  instance,  I  put  a  bee  into  a  bell-glass  18  inches 
long,  and  with  a  mouth  6^  inches  wide,  turning  the  closed 
end  to  the  window;  she  buzzed  about  for  an  hour, 
when,  as  there  seemed  no  chance  of  her  getting  out, 
I   put  her   back    into    the   hive.     Two   flies,  on   the 


FINDING  THEIR  WAY. 


279 


contrary,  which  I  put  in  with  her,  got  out  at  once.  At 
1 1.30  I  init  another  bee  and  a  fly  into  the  same  glass : 
(he  latter  flew  out  at  once.  For  half  an  hour  the  bee 
tried  to  get  out  at  the  closed  end  ;  I  then  turned  the 
glass  with  its  open  end  to  the  light,  when  she  flew  out  at 
once.  To  make  sure,  I  repeated  the  experiment  once 
more  with  the  same  result. 

Some  bees,  however,  have  seemed  to  me  more  in- 
telligent in  this  respect  than  others.  A  bee  which  I 
had  fed  several  times,  and  which  had  flown  about  in 
the  room,  found  its  way  out  of  the  gkss  in  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  and  when  put  in  a  second  time  came  out  at 
once.  Another  bee,  when  I  closed  the  postern  door 
which  opened  from  my  hive  directly  into  my  room, 
used  to  come  round  to  the  honey  through  an  open 
window. 

One  day  (April  14,  1872),  when  a  number  of 
them  were  very  busy  on  some  berberries,  I  put  a  saucer 
with  some  honey  between  two  bunches  of  flowers ;  these 
flowers  were  repeatedly  visited,  and  were  so  close  that 
there  was  hardly  room  for  the  saucer  between  them, 
yet  from  9.30  to  3.30  not  a  single  bee  took  any  notice 
of  the  honey.  At  3.30  I  put  some  honey  on  one  of  the 
bunches  of  flowers,  and  it  was  eagerly  sucked  by  the 
bees  ;  two  kept  continually  returning  till  past  five  in 
the  evening. 

One  day  when  I  came  home  in  the  afternoon  I  found 
that  at  least  a  hundred  bees  had  got  into  my  room 
through  the  postern  and  were  on  the  window,  yet  not 


280 


BEES  FOLLOW   ONE  ANOTHER 


one  was  attracted  by  an  open  jar  of  honey  which  stood 
in  a  shady  corner  about  3  feet  6  inches  from  the 
window. 

Another  day  (April  29,  1872)  I  placed  a  saucer  of 
honey  close  to  some  forget-me-nots,  on  which  bees 
were  numerous  and  busy  ;  yet  from  10  A.M.  till  6  only 
one  bee  went  to  the  honey. 

I  put  some  honey  in  a  hollow  in  the  garden  wall 
opposite  my  hives  at  10.30  (this  wall  is  about  five  feet 
high  and  four  feet  from  the  hives),  yet  the  bees  did 
not  find  it  during  the  whole  day. 

On  March  30,  1873,  a  fine  sunshiny  day,  when  the 
bees  were  very  active,  I  placed  a  glass  containing 
honey  at  9  in  the  morning  on  the  wall  in  front  of  the 
hives;  but  not  a  single  bee  went  to  the  honey  the 
whole  day.  On  April  20  I  tried  the  same  experiment 
with  the  same  result. 

September  19. — At  9.30  1  placed  some  honey  in  a 
glass  about  four  feet  from  and  just  in  front  of  the 
hive,  but  during  the  whole  day  not  a  bee  observed  it. 

As  it  then  occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be 
suggested  that  there  was  something  about  this  honey 
which  rendered  it  unattractive  to  the  bees,  on  the 
following  day  I  first  placed  it  again  on  the  top  of  the 
wall  for  three  hours,  during  which  not  a  single 
bee  came,  and  then  moved  it  close  to  the  alitiiitincr- 
board  of  the  hive.  It  remained  unnoticed  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  when  two  bees  observed  it,  and  others  soon 
followed  in  considerable  numbers. 


10  STORES  OF  FOOD. 


281 


It  is  generally  stated  not  only  that  the  bees  in  a 
hive  all  know  one  another,  but  also  that  they  immedi- 
ately recognise  and  attack  any  intruder  from  another 
hive.  It  is  possible  that  the  bees  of  particular  hives 
have  a  particular  smell.  Thus  Langstroth,  in  his  in- 
teresting '  Treatise  on  the  IIoney-Bee,'  says, '  Members 
of  different  colonies  appear  to  recognise  their  hive 
companions  by  the  sense  of  smell ; '  and  I  believe  that 
if  colonies  are  sprinkled  with  scented  syrup  they  may 
generally  be  safely  mixed.  Moreover,  a  bee  returning 
to  its  own  hive  with  a  load  of  treasure  is  a  very  dif- 
ferent creature  from  a  hungry  marauder ;  and  it  is 
said  that  a  bee,  if  laden  with  honey,  is  allowed  to  enter 
any  hive  with  impunity.  Mr.  Langstroth  continues : 
'  There  is  an  air  of  roguery  about  a  thieving  bee  which, 
to  the  expert,  is  as  characteristic  as  are  the  motions  of 
a  pickpocket  to  a  skilful  policeman.  Its  sneaking  look 
and  nervous,  guilty  agitation,  once  seen,  can  never  be 
mistaken.'  It  is  at  any  rate  natural  that  a  bee  which 
enters  a  wrong  hive  by  accident  should  be  much  sur- 
prised and  alarmed,  and  would  thus  probably  betray 
herself. 

So  far  as  my  own  observations  go,  though  bees 
habitually  know  and  return  to  their  own  hive,  still,  if 
placed  on  the  alighting-board  of  another,  they  often 
enter  it  without  molestation.     Thus  : — 

On  May  4  I  put  a  strange  bee  into  a  hive  at  2 
o'clock.  She  remained  in  till  2.20,  when  she  came  out, 
but  entered  again  directly,     I  was  away  most  of  the 

20 


282 


BEHAVIOUR  OF  BEES 


afternoon,  but  returned  at  5.30  ;  at  6  she  came  oat  of  • 
the  hive,  but  soon  returned ;  and  after  that  I  saw  no 
more  of  her. 

May  12.— A  beautiful  day,  and  the  bees  very  active. 
I  placed  twelve  marked  bees  on  the  alighting-lx>ard  of 
a  neighbouring  hive.  They  all  went  in ;  but  before 
evening  ten  had  returned  home. 

May  13. — Again  put  twelve  marked  bees  on  the 
alighting-board  of  another  nest ;  eleven  went  in.  The 
following  day  I  found  that  seven  had  returned  home  ; 
the  other  five  I  could  not  see. 

May  17. — Took  a  bee,  and,  after  feeding  her  and 
marking  her  white,  put  her  to  a  hive  next  but  one  to 
her  own  at  4.18.     She  went  in. 
4.22.  Came  out  and  went  in  again. 
4.29.  Came  out.     I  fed  her  and  sent  her  back. 

4.35.  Came  out.     Took  a  little  flight  and  came  back. 

4.45.  Went  in,  but  returned.  4.52.  Went  in. 
4.53.  Came  out,  4.5G. 
4.57.           „                                        4.58. 
5.    I.  Came  out,  took  another  little  flight,  and  returned. 

I  fed  her  again.  5.25.  Went  in  again. 

5.28.  Came  out  again.  5.29.  „ 

5.36.  „  5.40.  „ 

6.46.  Shut  her  and  the  others  in  with  a  piece  of  note- 

paper. 
6.36.  One   of  the   bees   forced  her    way    through.      I 
o^iened  the  door;  and   several,  including  thn 


?> 


?» 


IN  A  STRANGE  HIVE. 


233 


white  one,  came  out  directly.  Till  6.50  this  bee 
kei)t  on  going  in  and  out  every  minute  or  two ; 
hardly  any  bees  were  flying,  only  a  few  stand- 
ing at  the  doors  of  most  of  the  hives.  At 
7.20  she  was  still  at  the  hive  door. 
May  20. — Between  6  and  7  r.M.  I  marked  a  bee 
and  transferred  her  to  another  hive. 

May  21. — Watched  from  7.30  to  8.9  in  the  morning 
without  seeing  her.  At  half-past  six  in  the  evening 
went  down  again,  directly  saw  and  fed  her.  She  was 
then  in  her  new  hive ;  but  a  few  minutes  after  I  ob- 
served her  on  the  lighting-stage  of  her  old  hive;  so  I 
again  fed  her,  and  when  she  left  my  hand  she  returned 
to  the  new  hive. 

May  22. — 8    o'clock.     She  was  back   in   her   old 

hive. 

J/av/ 23.— About  12.30  she  was  again  in  the  new 

hive. 

Though  bees  which  have  stung  and  lost  their  sting 
always  perish,  they  do  not  die  immediately ;  and  in  the 
meantime  they  show  little  sign  of  suffering  from  the 
terrible  injury.  On  August  25  a  bee  which  had  come 
several  times  to  my  honey  was  stiirtled,  flew  to  one  of 
the  windows,  and  had  evidently  lost  her  way.  While 
I  was  putting  her  back  she  stung  me,  and  lost  her 
sting  in  doing  so.  I  put  her  in  through  the  postern, 
and  for  twenty  minutes  she  remained  on  the  landing- 
stage  ;  she  then  went  into  the  hive,  and  after  an  hour 
returned  to  the  honey  and  fed  quietly,  notwithstimding 


^jti'jjiWti^sJa 


284 


LABOUR  OF  BEES  NOT  INCESSANT. 


RECKLESSNESS   OF  BEES. 


28.^ 


the  terrible  injury  she  had  received.  After  this,  how- 
ever, I  did  not  see  her  any  more. 

Like  many  other  insects,  bees  are  much  affected 
by  light.  One  evening,  having  to  go  down  to  the 
cellar,  I  lit  a  small  covered  lamp.  A  bee  which  was 
out  came  to  it,  and,  flying  round  and  round  like  a 
moth,  followed  me  the  whole  of  the  way  there. 

I  often  found  that  if  bees  which  were  brought  to 
honey  did  not  return  at  once,  still  they  would  do  so  a 
day  or  two  afterwards.  For  instance,  on  July  11,  1874, 
a  hot  thundery  day,  and  when  the  bees  were  much  out 
of  humour,  I  brought  twelve  bees  to  some  honey :  only 
one  came  back,  and  that  one  only  once  ;  but  on  the 
following  day  several  of  them  returned. 

My  bees  sometimes  ceased  work  at  times  when  I 
could  not  account  for  their  doing  so.  October  19  was  a 
beautiful,  sunshiny,  warm  day.  All  the  morning  the 
bees  were  fully  active.  At  11.25  I  brought  one  to  the 
honeycomb,  and  she  returned  at  the  usual  intervals  for 
a  couple  of  hours  ;  but  after  that  she  came  no  more,  nor 
were  there  any  other  bees  at  work.  Yet  the  weather 
was  lovely,  and  the  hive  is  so  placed  as  to  catch  the 
afternoon  sun. 

I  have  made  a  few  observations  to  ascertain,  if 
possible,  whether  the  bees  generally  go  to  the  same 
part  of  the  hive.     Thus,-- 

October  5. — I  took  a  bee  out  of  the  hive,  fed  her, 
and  marked  her.     She  went  back  to  the  same  part. 

October  9. — At  7.15  I  took  out  two  bees,  fed  and 


marked  them.  They  returned ;  but  I  could  not  see 
them  in  the  same  part  of  the  hive.  One,  however,  I 
found  not  far  off. 

At  9.3.0  brought  out  four  bees,  fed  and  marked  them. 
One  returned  to  the  same  part  of  the  hive.  I  lost  sight 
of  the  others. 

Since  their  extreme  eagerness  for  honey  may  be 
attributed  rather  to  their  anxiety  for  the  commonweal 
than  to  their  desire  for  jiersoiial  gratification,  it  cannot 
fairly  be  imputed  as  greediness ;  still  the  following 
scene,  described  by  Dr.  Langstroth,  and  one  which 
most  of  us  have  witnessed,  it:  incompatible  surely  with 
much  intelliijence.  '  No  one  can  understand  the 
extent  of  their  infatuation  Tiutil  he  has  seen  a  con- 
fectioner's shop  assailed  by  myriads  of  hungry  bees. 
I  have  seen  thousands  strained  out  from  the  syrup 
in  which  they  had  perished  ;  thousands  more  alighting 
even  upon  the  boiling  sweets ;  the  floor  covered  and 
windows  darkened  with  bees,  some  crawling,  others 
flying,  and  others  still  so  completely  besmeared  as 
to  be  able  neither  to  crawl  nor  fly — not  one  in  ten 
able  to  carry  home  its  ill-gotten  spoils,  and  yet  the  air 
filled  with  new  hosts  of  thoughtless  comers.'^ 

If,  however,  bees  are  to  be  credited  with  any  moral 
feelings  at  all,  I  fear  the  experience  of  all  bee-keepers 
shows  that  they  have  no  conscientious  scruples  about 
robbing  their  weaker  brethren.  '  If  the  bees  of  a  strong 
Btot^k,'  says  Langstroth,  '  once  get  a  taste  of  forbidden 
•  Jliic-  and  Ilomy-Bcc,  Langstroth,  p.  277. 


t*}^  -..«;{«■»  *S-h.. 


.^■f4efir^hite'J'«>a 


^iil^^^^^Bii^&#iiiffeiiifei£ 


286 


WANT  OF  AFFECTION. 


DEVOTION  TO  QUEEN. 


287 


sweets,  they  will  seldom  stop  until  they  have  tested  the 
strength  of  every  hive.'  And  again,  *  Some  bee- 
keepers question  whether  a  bee  that  once  learns  to 
steal  ever  returns  to  honest  courses.'  Siebold  has  men- 
tioned similar  facts  in  the  case  of  certain  wasps  {Polistes). 
Far,  indeed,  from  having  been  able  to  discover  any 
evidence  of  affection  among  them,  they  appear  to  be 
thoroughly  callous  and  utterly  indifferent  to  one 
another.  As  already  mentioned,  it  was  necessary  for 
me  occasionally  to  kill  a  bee  ;  but  I  never  found  that 
the  others  took  the  slightest  notice.  Thus  on  October 
111  crushed  a  bee  close  to  one  which  was  feeding — in 
fact,  so  close  that  their  wings  touched  ;  yet  the  sur- 
vivor took  no  notice  whatever  of  the  death  of  her 
sister,  but  w^ent  on  feeding  with  every  appearance  of 
composure  and  enjoyment,  just  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. When  the  pressure  was  removed,  she  remained 
by  the  side  of  the  corpse  without  the  slightest  appear- 
ance of  apprehension,  sorrow,  or  recognition.  She  evi- 
dently did  not  feel  the  slightest  emotion  at  her 
sister's  death,  nor  did  she  show  any  alarm  lest  the 
same  fate  should  befall  her  also.  In  a  second  case 
exactly  the  same  occurred.  Again,  I  have  seveml 
times,  while  a  bee  has  been  feeding,  held  a  second 
bee  by  the  leg  close  to  her ;  the  prisoner,  of  course, 
struggled  to  escape,  and  buzzed  as  loudly  as  she  could ; 
yet  the  bee  which  was  feeding  took  no  notice  whatever. 
So  far,  therefore,  from  being  at  all  affectionate,  I  doubt 
whether  bees  are  in  the  least  fond  of  one  another 


( 


Their  devotion  to  their  queen  is  generally  quoted 
as  an  admirable  tmit ;  yet  it  is  of  the  most  limited 
character.      For   instance,  I   was   anxious   to   change 
one  of  my  black  queens  for  a  Ligurian ;  and  accord- 
ingly on  October  26  ]Mr.  Hunter  was  good  enough  to 
brincT   me   a   Ligurian  queen.     We  removed  the  old 
queen,  and  we  placed  her  with  some  workers  in  a  box 
containing  some  comb.     I  was  obliged  to  leave  home 
on  the  following  day  ,•  but  when  I  returned  on  the  30th 
I  found  that  all  the  bees  had  deserted  the  poor  queen, 
who  seemed  weak,  helpless,  and  miserable      On  the  31st 
the  bees  were  coming  to  some  honey  at  one  of  my 
windows,  and  I  placed  this  poor  queen  close  to  them. 
In  alighting,  several  of  them  even  touched  her  ;  yet  not 
one  of  her  subjects  took  the  slightest  notice  of  her.   The 
same  queen,  when  afterwards  placed  in  the  hive,  im- 
mediately attracted  a  number  of  bees. 

As  regards  the  affection  of  bees  for  one  another,  it 
is  no  doubt  true  that  when  they  have  got  any  honey 
on  them,  they  are  always  licked  clean  by  the  rest; 
but  I  am  satisfied  that  this  is  for  the  sake  of  the 
honey  rather  than  of  the  bee.  On  September  27,  for 
instance,  I  tried  with  two  bees :  one  had  been  drowned, 
the  other  was  smeared  with  honey.  The  latter  was 
doon  licked  clean  ;  of  the  former  they  took  no  notice 
whatever.  I  have,  moreover,  repeatedly  placed  dead 
bees  bv  honey  on  which  live  ones  were  feeding,  but  the 
Litter  never  took  the  slightest  notice  of  the  coi-pses. 
Dead  bees  are  indeed   usually  carried  out  of  the 


f-jltato?^ii8Jij.v  ■; .  '-.tSfei 


:.i.j<tt^>"a!>  I". .' 


i.TiA'-l'-  i'i*  -  *5ja*w  tf 


r^r  i.vj(>>«jMf>  fu^fr  -/•  vitrP  «t*V^  'f'tlV.  "^  f  J*ifci"V«^ 


if«wi«ai,Fgr  A^wvjT  j*''v^6iHiw«wgtf*p"»w«(r 


288 


SENSE  OF  SMELL. 


SENTINELS. 


28i> 


hive ,  but  if  one  is  placed  on  the  alighting-stage,  the 
others  seem  to  take  no  notice  of  it,  though  it  is  in 
general  soon  pushed  off  accidentally  by  their  move- 
ments. I  have  even  seen  the  bees  sucking  the  juices 
of  a  dead  pupa. 

As  regards  the  senses  of  bees,  it  seems  clear  that 
they  possess  a  keen  power  of  smell. 

On  October  5  I  put  a  few  drops  of  eau  de  Cologne 
in  the  entrance  of  one  of  my  hives,  and  immediately 
a  number  of  bees  (about  fifteen)  came  out  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  Rose-water  also  had  the  same  effect ; 
and,  as  will  be  mentioned  i)resently,  in  this  manner 
I  called  the  bees  out  several  times;  but  after  a  few 
days  they  took  hardly  any  notice  of  the  scent. 

These  observations  were  made  partly  with  the  view 
of  ascertaining  whether  the  same  bees  act  as  sentinels. 
With  this  object,  on  October  5  I  called  out  the  bees  by 
placing  some  eau  de  Cologne  in  the  entrance,  and 
Uxarked  the  first  three  bees  that  came  out.  At  5  p.m. 
T  called  them  out  again;  about  twenty  came,  including 
the  three  marked  ones.     I  marked  three  more. 

October  6.-  Called  them  out  again.  Out  of  the  first 
twelve,  five  were  marked  ones.     I  marked  three  more. 

October  7.— Called  them  out  at  7.30  a.m.  as  before. 
Out  of  the  first  nine,  seven  were  marked  ones. 

At  5.30  P.M.  called  them  out  again.  Out  of  six, 
five  were  marked  ones. 

October  8.— Called  them  out  at  7.15.  Six  came  out, 
all  marked  ones. 


October  9. — Called  them  out  at  6.40.  Out  of  the 
first  ten,  eight  were  marked  ones. 

Called  them  out  at  11.30  a.m.  Out  of  six,  three 
%'ere  marked.     I  marked  the  other  three. 

Called  them  out  at  1.30  p.m.  Out  of  ten,  six  were 
marked. 

Called  them  out  at  4.30.  Out  of  ten,  seven  were 
marked. 

October  10. — Called  them  out  at  6.5  a.m.  Out  of 
btK,  five  were  marked. 

Shortly  afterwards  I  did  the  same  again,  when  out 
of  eleven,  seven  were  marked  ones. 

5.30  P.M.  Called  them  out  again.  Out  of  seven, 
five  were  marked. 

October  l\. — 6.30  a.m.  Called  them  out  again. 
Out  of  nine,  seven  were  marked. 

5  p.m.  Called  them  out  again.  Out  of  seven,  five 
were  marked. 

After  this  day  they  took  hardly  any  notice  of  the 
scents. 

Thus  in  these  nine  experiments,  out  of  the  ninety- 
seven  bees  which  came  out  first,  no  less  than  seventy- 
one  were  marked  ones,  though  out  of  the  whole  number 
of  bees  in  the  hive  there  were  only  twelve  marked  for 
this  purpose,  and,  indeed,  even  fewer  in  the  earlier  ex- 
periments. I  ought,  perhaps,  to  add  that  I  generally 
fed  the  bees  when  I  called  them  out. 


290 


SENSE  OF  lIEARmO. 


The  Sense  of  Hearing, 

August  29. — The  result  of  my  expeiiinenfs  on  the 
hearing  of  bees  h.is  surprised  me  very  much.  It  is 
generally  considered  that  to  a  ceitain  extent  the 
emotions  of  bees  are  expressed  by  the  sounds  they 
make,'  which  seems  to  imply  that  they  possess  the 
power  of  hearing.  I  do  not  by  any  means  intend  to 
deny  that  this  is  the  case.  Nevertheless  I  never  found 
them  tiike  any  notice  of  any  noise  which  I  made,  even 
when  it  was  close  to  them.  I  tried  one  of  my  bees 
with  a  violin.  I  made  all  the  noise  I  could,  but  to  my 
surprise  she  took  no  notice.  I  could  not  even  see  a 
twitch  of  the  antennie.  The  next  day  I  tried  the  same 
with  another  bee,  but  could  not  see  the  slightest  sign 
that  she  was  conscious  of  the  noise.  On  August  311 
repeated  the  same  experiment  with  another  bee  with 
the  same  result.  On  September  12  and  13  I  tried 
several  bees  with  a  dog-whistle  and  a  shrill  pipe ;  but 
they  took  no  notice  whatever,  nor  did  a  set  of  tuning- 
forks  which  I  tried  on  a  subsequent  day  have  any  more 
effect.  These  tuning-forks  extended  over  three  octaves, 
beginnino^  with  a  below  the  ledger  line.  I  also  tried 
with  my  voice,  shouting,  Sic,  close  to  the  head  of  a  bee  ; 
but,  in  spite  of  my  utmost  efforts,  the  bees  took  no 
notice.  I  repeated  these  experiments  at  night  when 
the  bees  were  quiet ;  but  no  noise  that  I  could  make 
seemed  to  disturb  them  in  the  least. 

-  See,  for  instance,  Landois,  Ziits.f.  tvitnt.  Zool.  1807,  ji.  184 


COLOUR  SENSE. 


291 


In  this  respect  the  results  of  my  observations  on 
bees  entirely  agreed  with  those  on  ants,  and  I  will 
here,  therefore,  only  refer  to  what  has  been  said  in 
a  preceding  chapter. 

The  Colour  Sense  of  Bees, 

The  consideration  of  the  causes  which  have  led  to 
the  structure  and  colouring  of  flowers  is  one  of  the 
most  fascinating  parts  of  natural  history.  Most  botanists 
are  now  agreed  that  insects,  and  especially  bees,  have 
l)layed  a  very  important  part  in  the  development  of 
flowers.  While  in  many  plants,  almost  invariably  with 
inconspicuous  blossoms,  the  pollen  is  carried  from 
flower  to  flower  by  the  wind,  in  the  case  of  almost  all 
large  and  brightly  coloured  flowers  this  is  effected  by 
the  agency  of  insects.  In  such  flowers  the  colours, 
scent,  and  honey  serve  to  attract  insects,  while  the  size 
and  form  are  arranged  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
insects  fertilise  them  with  pollen  brought  from  another 
plant. 

There  could,  therefore,  be  little  doubt  that  bees 
possess  a  sense  of  colour.  Nevertheless  I  thought  it 
would  be  desirable  to  i:)rove  this  if  possible  by  actual 
experiment,  which  had  not  yet  been  done.  Accordingly 
on  July  12  I  brought  a  bee  to  some  honey  which 
I  placed  on  blue  j)ap<'r,  and  about  3  feet  off  I 
placed  a  similar  quantity  of  honey  on  orange  paper. 
After  she  had  returned  twice  I  transposed  the 
papers;    but  she  returned  to  the  honey  on  the  blue 


292 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH 


COLOURED   P.IPER. 


293 


paper.  After  she  Lad  made  three  more  visits,  always 
to  the  blue  paper,  I  transposed  them  again,  and  she 
again  followed  the  colour,  though  the  honey  was  left 
in  the  same  place.  The  following  day  I  was  not  able  to 
watch  her;  but  on  the  14th  at — 

7.29  A.M.  she  returned  to  the  honey  on  the  blue  paper 

7.31  left. 
7.44  „  „  7.41    „ 

7.56  „  „ 

I  then  again  transposed  the  papers.  At  8.5  she 
returned  to  the  old  place,  and  was  just  going  to 
alight ;  but  observing  the  change  of  colours,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation  darted  off  to  the  blue.  No  one 
who  saw  her  at  that  moment  could  have  entertained 
the  slightest  doubt  about  her  perceiving  the  difference 
between  the  two  colours.     At  8.9  she  went. 

8.13  she  returned  to  the  blue;    8.16  went. 
8.20  „  „  8.23 

.8.26  „  „  8.30 


5J 


J> 


Transposed  the  colours  again. 
At  8.35  she  returned  to  the  blue,  and  at  8.39  went. 


8.44 
8.50 


J? 


Transposed  the  colours  again. 

8.57  she  returned  again  to  the  blue  ; 

9.  4 

9.12 


>» 


» 


8.47 

99 

8.53 

99 

9.  0 

» 

9.  7 

99 

9.15 

t> 

9.19  she 

rctin-ned 

again 

to  the  blue; 

9.22 

went. 

9.25 

>» 

•» 

9.27 

99 

9.30 

»^ 

J5 

9..34 

?» 

9.40 

• 

99 

>» 

9.44 

99 

9.50 

» 

>5 

9.55 

99 

Tr; 

mspos( 

hI  the 

colours  again. 

10.  2 

she 

ret 

urned 

again 

to  the  blue  ; 

10.  6 

99 

10.10 

» 

5» 

10.14 

5J 

10.20 

j> 

>» 

10.25 

99 

10.30 

>5 

»> 

10.34 

99 

10.40 

» 

» 

10.44 

99 

10.48 

» 

5> 

10.51 

99 

11.12 

» 

>9 

11.14 

99 

11.21 

5» 

and  flew 

about,  I] 

aving 

been  disturbed. 

11.26 

59 

59 

11.28 

went. 

11.36 

>9 

j» 

11.40 

«• 

12.  5  came  and  Hew  about,  but  did  not  settle  till  — 
12.17  she  returned  again  to  the  blue  ;     12.17  went. 
12.21  came  and  flew  about. 

Though  it  was  a  beautiful  afternoon,  she  did  not 
return  any  more  that  day. 

On  October  2  I  placed  some  honey  on  slips  of  glass 
resting  on  black,  white,  yellow,  orange,  green,  blue, 
and  red  paper.  A  bee  which  was  placed  on  the  orange 
returned  twenty  times  to  that  slip  of  glass,  only  once 
or  twice  visiting  the  others,  though  I  moved  the  posi- 
tion and  also  the  honey.     The  next  morning  again  two 


>-..iw..j<f « ,  .■j..  £■<■-* aL-'i^''~'..:nriA,j.«.^v...  - 


■  ■vm^tT  flbstvviunciwi" 


294 


EVIDENT  POWER   OF 


or  three  bees  paid  twenty-one  visits  to  the  orange  and 
yellow,  and  only  four  to  all  the  other  slips  of  glass.  I 
then  moved  the  glass,  after  which,  out  of  thirty-two 
visits,  twenty-two  were  to  the  orange  and  yellow. 
This  was  due,  I  believe,  to  the  bee  having  been  placed 
on  the  orange  at  the  beginning  of  the  experiment. 
r  do  not  attribute  it  to  any  preference  for  the 
orange  or  yellow;  indeed,  I  shall  presently  give  reasons 
for  considering  that  blue  is  the  favourite  colour  of 
bees. 

October  6. — I  had  ranged  my  colours  in  a  line,  with 
the  blue  at  one  end.  It  was  a  cold  morning,  and  only 
one  bee  came.  She  had  been  several  times  the  pre- 
ceding day,  generally  to  the  honey  which  was  on  the 
blue  paper.  This  day  also  she  came  to  the  blue ;  I 
moved  the  blue  gradually  along  the  line  one  stage 
every  half-hour,  during  which  time  she  paid  fifteen 
visits  to  the  honey,  in  every  case  going  to  that  which 
was  on  the  blue  paper. 

Again,  on  September  13  at  11  a.m.,  I  brought  up  a 
bee  from  one  of  my  hives  ;  at  11 .40  she  returned  to 
honey  which  I  had  put  on  a  slip  of  glass  on  green  papet. 
She  returned  at  11.61.     And  again  at 

12.   1 

12.13 

12.22 

12.33 

12.46 

12.58 


DISTINGUISHING  COLOURS. 


295 


J9 

n 

99 

n 


She  returned  at  1.12. 


n 

1.49 

5> 

2.   1. 

1» 

2.25 

« 

2.40. 

w 


»*< 


This  time  she  lost  her  way  in 
the  room. 

This  time  she  got  stuck  in  the 
honey,  and  had  to  clean 
herself. 


I  now  put  red  paper  instead 
of  the  green,  and  put  the 
green  paper  with  a  similar 
quantity  of  honey  on  it  a 
fcot  off. 

2.51  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
I  then  gently  moved  the 
green  paper,  with  the  bee 
on  it,  back  to  the  old  spot. 
When  the  bee  had  gone,  I 
put  yellow  paper  where  the 
green  had  been,  and  put 
the  green  again  a  foot  off. 

3.  0  to  tlie  honey  on  the  yellow 
paj^er.  I  disturbed  the 
bee,  and  she  at  once  flew 
to  the  honey  on  the  green 
paper ;  when  she  had  gone, 
I  put  orange  paper  in  the 
old  place,  and  put  the  green 
paper  about  a  foot  off. 

3.10  to  the  honey  on  the  green  pap  or 


x  *  .  '-f- 


Xtt  .'■'^ttniPt'tfi. 


296 


EVIDENT  POWER  OF 


I  again  gently  moved  the 
paper,  with  the  bee  on  it, 
to  the  usual  place ;  and 
when  the  bee  had  gone, 
put  white  paper  in  the  old 
place,  and  put  the  green  a 
foot  off. 
She   returned  at  3.20  to  the  honey  on  the  green  paper. 

I  again  gently  moved  the 
green  paper,  with  the  bee 
on  it,  to  the  old  place ;  and 
when  she  had  gone,  re- 
placed it  by  blue  paper, 
putting  the  green  a  foot  off. 
19  3.30  to  the  honey  on  the  green  paper. 

I  again  repeated  the  same 
thing,    putting   yellow  in- 
stead of  blue. 
M  3.40  to  the  green  paper.     I  now  re- 

versed the  position  of  the 
yellow  and   green  papers ; 
but 
3.51  to  the  green.     After  this 
4.  6 
4.15 

4.28,  when  she  left  off  for  the  day, 
nor  were  there  any  bees  still  working  in  the  garden. 
The  same  afternoon  a  wasp,  which  I  was  observing, 
remained  at  work  till  6.29  r.M. 


99 


W 


ff 


n 


DISTINGUISHING   COLOURS. 


297 


Aiujitst  20. — About  noon  I  brought  five  bees  to 
iome  honey  at  my  window.  They  all  soon  returned, 
and  numerous  friends  came  with  them.  One  of  them 
I  put  to  some  honey  on  blue  paper.  She  returned  as 
follows,  viz. : — 


At  12.36 

12.42 

12.53 

1.28 

1.3S 

1.49 
2.  2 
2.11 
2.24 


At  2.30 
2.38 

3.  2 
3.10 
3.22 
3.50 

4.  4 
4.14 
4.23 


when  I  left  off  watching  and  shut  her  out.  The  longer 
intervals  are  due  to  her  having  got  some  honey  every 
now  and  then  on  her  wings  and  legs,  when  she  lost  a 
little  time  in  cleaning  herself. 

August  21. — I  opened  my  window  at  6  A.M  No 
bee  came  till  at  7.33  the  one  above-mentioned  came  to 
the  honey  on  blue  paper. 

I  also  placed  some  honey  on  orange  paper  about 
two  feet  off. 

At  7.42  she  returned  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper, 
and  again 
7.55  she  returned  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 
8.  3 
8.14 


9> 


» 


>5 


21 


298 


EVIDENT  POWER   OF 


»9 


99 


J> 


99 


99 
99 
99 
99 


At  8.25  She  returned  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 

8.33 

8.44 

8.54 

9.  5 

I  then  transposed  the  papers,  but  not  the  honey. 
At  9.16  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper, 
I  then  transposed  the  papers  again. 

At  9.29  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 
1  then  transposed  them  again. 

At    y.39  ,9  „  yy  „ 

At  9.53  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 
I  now  put  green  paper  instead  of  orange,  and  transposed 
the  places. 

At  10.0  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
I  transposed  them  again. 

At  10.8  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 
I  transposed  them  again. 

At  10.21  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
I  now  put  red  paper  instead  of  green,  and  transposed 
the  places. 

At  10.30  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper 
I  transposed  them  again. 

At  10.42 
10.53 
11.  4 
11.16 

I  now  put  white  paper  instead  of  red,  and  trans 
posed  the  places. 


»» 


55 


55 


55 


99 


99 


99 


95 


99 


99 


99 


55 


55 


55 


55 


95 


DISTINGUISHING   COLOURS. 


299 


55 

55 

95 


99 


99 


55 


W 


95 


55 


59 


55 


55 


At  1 1.28  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper 
I  transposed  them  again. 
At  11.41 
11.56 
12.  8 

At  12.17  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 
I  now  put  green  pjiper  again  instead  of  white,  and 
transposed  the  places. 

At  12.27  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 
I  transposed  them  again. 
At  12.40 
12.50 
1.  0 
1.13 

At  1.25  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue 
l)aper,  and   then    to  the    green.  '  I  transposed   them 


55 


55 


55 


55 


99 
99 

95 

55 


99 


99 


59 


95 


95 


55 


55 


55 


agam. 


At  1.40  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 
1  transposed  them  again. 

At  1 .47  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  gi'een  paper. 
„  1.57  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper, 
and  then  to  the  green. 

At  2.  6  she  came  back  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper. 

9  17 
95    -'^  '  99  99  55  99 

The  following  day  I  accustomed  this  bee  to  green 
paper.  She  made  63  visits  (beginning  at  7.47  and 
ending  at  6.44),  of  which  50  were  to  honey  on  green 
paper. 

The  following  day,  August  23,  she  began  work, — 


i»  ifh*  l\  .  *i/i  1  "tiS,P^  ' 


irto-  ■     A'afeJ^'it^^J'g-.-rf'rfcy'. 


300 


EVIDENT   POWER   OF 


DISTINGULSHING  COLOURS. 


301 


At  7.12  returning  to  honey  on  green  paper.  I  theB 
put  some  on  yellow  paper  about  a  foot  off. 

At  7.19  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  green  pap<^r. 
I  transposed  the  colours. 

At  7.25  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
I  replaced  the  yellow  paper  by  orange  and  transposed 
the  places. 

At  7.36  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
I  transposed  the  colours  so  that  the  orange  might  be  on 
the  spot  to  which  the  bee  was  most  accustomed. 

At  7.44  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
I  now  put  white  instead  of  orange. 

At  7.55  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
Transposed  the  papers. 

At  8.1  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  green  paper, 
I  now  put  blue  paper  instead  of  white. 

At  8.12  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  blue  paper; 
but  it  will  be  remembered  that  she  had  been  previously 
accustomed  to  come  to  the  blue.  I  now  put  red  instead 
of  blue. 

At  8.23  she  turned  to  the  honey  on  green  paper. 
8.25 
8.47 

I  then  ceased  observing  and  removed  the  honey. 

Thus  the  bee  which  was  accustomed  to  green, 
returned  to  that  colour  when  it  was  removed  about  a 
foot,  and  replaced  by  yellow,  orange,  white,  and  red  ; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  when  it  was  replaced  by  blm;, 
she  went  to  the  blue.     1  kept  this  bee  under  obser- 


99 


» 


5) 


J5 


» 


» 


»» 


» 


1' 


vation    till    the    28th,    but    not   with     reference    to 
colours. 

August  24. — At  7.45  I  put  another  bee  to  honey 
on  green  paper,  to  which  she  kept  on  returning  till 
9.44.  The  next  day  (August  25)  she  came  at  7.38,  and 
I  1-et  her  come  to  the  green  paper  till  9.  The  follow- 
ing morning  she  returued  at  6  A.M.,  coming  back  as 
follows,  viz. : — 

At  6.10 
6.18 
6.25 
6.35 
6.45 
6.54 
7.  3 
7.13 

I  now  put  orange  in  place  of  green,  and  put  the 
gn-eu  a  foot  off. 

At  7.24  she  returned  to  the  green.  I  replaced  the 
paper  with  the  bee  on  it ;  and  when  she  had  gone  I 
put  light  blue  in  place  of  the  green,  and  again  moved 
the  green  a  foot  off. 

At  7.36  she  returned  to  the  blue.  I  again  replaced 
the  paper  with  the  bee  on  it ;  and  when  she  had  gone  I 
put  yellow  in  place  of  the  green,  and  again  moved  the 
green  a  foot  off. 

At  7.44  she   returned  to  the  green.      I  then  did 


302 


M.  BONNIER'S  VIEWS. 


exactly  the  same,  only  putting  vermilion  in  place  of 
the  green. 

At  7.55  she  returned  to  the  green.     I  then  did  ex- 
actly the  same,  only  putting  white  in  place  of  green. 
At  8.  3 

"  »>  55  9J 

These  observations  clearly  show  that  bees  possess 
the  power  of  distinguishing  colours. 

It   remained   to   determine,   if    possible,    whether 
they  have  any  preference  for  one  colour  over  another. 
M.  Bonnier  in   a  recent   memoir^    denies    this.     He 
does  not  question  the  power  of  insects  to  distinguish 
colours,  which  he  admits  that  the  preceding  observa- 
tions clearly  prove,  but  he  maintains  that  they  would 
not  be  in  any  way  attracted  or  guided  by  the  colours 
of  flowers.     This  he  has  attempted  to  demonstrate  by 
experiment.     With  this  view  he  proceeded  as  follows : 
—He  took  four  cubes,  22  centim.  by  12  (i.e.  about  9 
inches  by  3^),  and  coloured  red,  green,  yellow,  and  white, 
placing  them  6  feet  apart  in  a  line  parallel  to  and  about 
60  feet  distant  from  the  hives.     He  then  placed  on 
each  an  equal  quantity  of   honey,  and  from  minute 
to  minute  counted  the  number  of  bees  on  each   cube. 
He  found  that  the  number  of  bees  on  each  was  approx- 
imately equal,  and  that  the  honey  was  removed   from 
each  in  about  twenty  minutes.     In  the  experiment  he 
records  the  bees  began  to  arrive  directly  the   honey 
was  arranged,  and  in  ten  minutes  there  were  nearly  a 
hundred  bees  on  each  cube.     I  presume,  therefore,  that 

Zes  Nectaircs. 


M.   BONNIER'S  EXPERIMENT. 


303 


i 


the  bees  were  previously  accustomed  to  come  to  the 
spot  in  question,  expecting  to  find  honey. 

I  do  not  think,  however,  that  any  conclusive  result 
could  be  expected  from  this  experiment.  In  the  first 
place,  after  the  first  five  minutes  there  were  about 
thirtv  bees  on  each  cube,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes 
nearly  a  hundred,  and  the  colour  therefore  must  have 
been  almost  covered  up.  The  presence  of  so  many  bees 
would  also  attract  their  companions.  Moreover,  as  the 
honey  was  all  removed  in  less  than  twenty  minutes,  the 
bees  were  evidently  working  against  time.  They  were 
like  the  passengers  in  an  express  train,  turned  hurriedly 
into  a  refreshment-room  ;  and  we  cannot  expect  that 
they  would  be  much  influenced  by  the  colouring  of  the 
tiiblecloth.  In  fact,  the  experiment  was  too  hurried, 
and  the  test  not  delicate  enough. 

Then,  again,  he  omitted  blue,  which  I  hope  to  show 
is  the  bee's  favourite  colour,  and  his  cubes  were  all 
coloured.  It  is  true  that  one  was  green ;  but  any  one 
may  satisfy  himself  that  a  piece  of  green  paper  on 
grass  is  almost  as  conspicuous  as  any  other  colour.  To 
make  this  experiment  complete,  ]M.  Bonnier  should 
have  placed  beside  the  honey  on  the  coloured  cubes  a 
similar  supply,  without  any  accompaniment  of  colour  to 
render  it  conspicuous. 

I  could  not,  therefore,  regard  these  experiments  as 
ac  all  conclusive.  The  following  seem  to  me  a  more 
fair  test :    - 

I  took  slips  of  glass  of  the  size  generally  used    for 


304 


EXPERIMENTS  TO   TEST 


slides  for  the  microscope,  viz.  3  inches  by  1,  and  pasted 
on  them  slips  of  paper  coloured  respectively  blue,  green, 
orange,  red,  white,  and  yellow.  I  then  put  them  on  a  lawn, 
in  a  row,  about  a  foot  apart,  and  on  each  put  a  second 
slip  of  glass  with  a  drop  of  honey.  I  also  put  with  them 
a  slip  of  plain  glass  with  a  similar  drop  of  honey.  I  had 
previously  trained  a  marked  bee  to  come  to  the  place  for 
honey.  My  plan  then  was,  when  the  bee  returned  and 
had  sipped  about  for  a  quarter  of  a  minute,  to  remove  the 
honey,  when  she  flew  to  another  slip.  This  then  I  took 
away,  when  she  went  to  a  third  ;  and  so  on.  In  this 
way — as  bees  generally  suck  for  three  or  four  minutes 
— I  induced  her  to  visit  all  the  drops  successively  before 
returning  to  the  nest.  When  she  had  gone  to  the  nest 
I  transposed  all  the  upper  glasses  with  the  honey,  and 
also  moved  the  coloured  glasses.  Thus,  as  the  drop  of 
honey  was  changed  each  time,  and  also  the  position  of 
the  coloured  glasses,  neither  of  these  could  influence 
the  selection  by  the  bee. 

In  recording  the  results  7  marked  down  successively 
the  order  in  which  the  bee  went  to  the  different  coloured 
glasses.  For  instance,  in  the  first  journey  from  the 
nest,  as  recorded  below,  the  bee  lit  first  on  the  blue, 
which  accordingly  I  marked  1  ;  when  disturbed  from 
the  blue,  she  flew  about  a  little  and  then  lit  on  the 
white  ;  when  the  white  was  removed,  she  settled  on 
the  green ;  and  so  on  successively  on  the  orange,  yellow, 
plain,  and  red.  I  repeated  the  experiment  a  hundred 
Limes,  using  two   different   hives — one  in  Kent  and 


FwUdik*. . 


i>REFERENCE    FOR  PARTICULAR  COLOURS.       305 

one  in  Middlesex — and  spreading  the  observations  over 
some  time,  so  as  to  experiment  with  different  bees, 
and  under  varied  circumstances.  Adding  the  numbers 
together,  it  of  course  follows  that  the  greater  the 
preference  shown  for  each  colour  the  lower  will  be  the 
number  standing  against  it. 

The  following  table  gives  the  first  day's  observa- 
tions in  extenso : — 


Journcj'S! 

Blue 

Green 

Plain 
Glass 

Orange 

Red 

White 

Yellow 

1 

2 
3 
4 
5 
(> 

T 

1 

8 

9 

10 

11 

1 
5 

1 
9 

1 

1 
2 
3 
5 
1 
4 

6 

7 
7 
6 

rr 

1 

3 
4 

r. 

7 
i 
5 

4 
6 
6 

2 

<; 

2 
4 
5 
2 

7 

1 

5 
5 
() 
5 
3 
7 
G 
3 
7 

2 
2 
3 
1 
5 
4 
5 
5 

3 
2 

3 

5 
3 
2 
3 
3 
7 
6 

1 
2 

4 
1 

20 

30 

05 

r>i 

55 

35 

37 

In  the  next  series  of  experiments  the  bees  had 
been  trained  for  three  weeks  to  come  to  a  particular 
spot  on  a  large  lawn,  by  placing  from  time  to  time 
honey  on  a  piece  of  plain  glass.  This  naturally  gave 
the  plain  glass  an  advantage ;  nevertheless,  as  will  be 
seen,  the  blue  still  retained  its  pre-eminence.  It  seems 
hardly  necessary  to  give  the  observations  in  detail. 
The  following  table  shows  the  general  result : — 


306 


EXPERIMENTS  SHOWtNO 


Series 

No.  of 

Kxi>. 

Blue 

Green 

Orange 

Plain 

Red 

Wliite 

Y.-ll(.w 

Ist        

2nfl,  Mfiy.30  ... 
3r(l,  July    2  ... 
4th.      „      4      . 
'>th,      „       5  ... 
«th,      „       «... 
7th,      ,.    20  ... 
8th,      „    23  ... 
9tli,      „    25  ... 

11 
15 
16 
15 
10 
2 
11 
10 
10 

26 
38 
44 
43 
36 
2 
33 
31 
22 

39 
57 
76 
61 
47 
8 
39 
46 
54 

51 
69 
82 
64 
39 
9 
50 
48 
38 

65 
72 
73 

80 
40 
10 
47 
52 
52 

55 

53 

6r> 

40 
14 

49 
37 
33 

35 
58 
53 
50 
36 
6 
41 
35 
35 

37 
70 
67 
56 
42 
7 
49 
31 
46 

100 

275 

427 

440 

491 

413 

34 i>  ■ 

405 

The  precautions  taken  seem  to  me  to  have  placed 
the  colours  on  an  equal  footing ;  while  the  number  of 
experiments  appears  sufficient  to  give  a  fair  avemge. 
It  will  be  observed  also  that  the  different  series  agree 
well  among  themselves.  The  difference  between  the 
numbers  is  certainly  striking.  Adding  together  1,  2, 
3,  4,  5,  6,  and  7,  we  get  28  as  the  total  number  given 
by  each  journey;  100  journeys  therefore  give,  as  the 
table  shows,  a  total  of  2,800,  which  divided  by  7  would 
of  course,  if  no  preference  were  shown,  give  400  for 
each  colour.  The  numbers  given,  however,  are— for 
the  blue  only  275,  for  the  white  349,  yellow  405,  red 
413,  green  427,  orange  440,  and  plain  glass  as  many  as 
491. 

Another  mode  of  testing  the  result  is  to  tiike  the 
per-centage  in  which  the  bees  went  respectively  to  each 
colour  first,  second,  third,  and  so  on.  It  will  be 
observed,  for  instance,  that  out  of  a  hundred  rounds 
the  bees  took  blue  as  one  of  the  first  three  in  74  casee, 


PREFERENCE  FOR  BLUE. 


307 


and  one  of  the  last  four  only  in  26  cases  ;  while,  on  the 
contrary,  they  selected  the  plain  as  one  of  the  first 
three  only  in  25  cases,  and  one  of  the  last  four  in  75 
rases. 


Blue 

Green 

Orange 

Plain 

Red 

White 

Yellow 

First 

31 

10 

11 

5 

14 

19 

9 

SiTond 

18 

11 

13 

7 

10 

21 

20 

Third 

25 

12 

8 

13 

16 

13 

13 

Fourth 

8 

23 

15 

11 

11 

12 

20 

Fifth 

11 

13 

15 

19 

17 

16 

10 

Sixth 

3 

15 

22 

21 

18 

12 

9 

Seventh     ... 

4 

16 

16 

24 

14 

7 

19 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

I  may  add  that  I  was  by  no  means  prepared  for 
this  result.  JNliiller,  in  his  remarkable  volume  on 
Alpine  Flowers,  states  that  bees  are  much  more  attracted 
by  yellow  than  by  white.'  In  the  same  work  he  gives 
the  following  table  : — 


Flowers 

ill  evny  JUU  vi-it>  ol  iusocLs 
there  were 

Butterflies 

Bies 

Flio:^  anfl 
Gnats 

OtJier 
iii.s('<  ts 

3  yi'llovvlsh-whitc  species 
2:'.  yellow                         „ 

16  16(1 

7  1  lue                           „ 

12-8 
47 
51-4 
64  9 

51-3 
27-5 
35  1 
26-6 

15  4 

28- 1 

9-2 

10-7 

20  5 
7-2 
8-2 
1-9 

This  table  does  not  indeed  show  any  absolute  pre- 
ference for  one  colour  rather  than  another.  In  the 
f'rst  place,  the  number  of  species  compared  is  very 
different  in  the  case  of  the  different  colours;  and  in 

•  Alpenhlumcn,^.  487. 


308 


PAUCITY   OF   BLUE  FL0A\T:RS. 


the  second  place,  the  results  may  of  course  be  due  to 
the  taste,  quantity,  or  accessibility  of  the  honey  (all  of 
which  we  know  exercise  a  great  influence),  rather  than 
by  the  colour  of  the  flower.  Still  the  table  rather 
seemed  to  indicate  that  bees  preferred  red,  white,  and 
yellow,  to  blue. 

I  may  very  likely  be  asked,  if  blue  is  the  favourite 
colour  of  bees,  and  if  bees  have  had  so  much  to  do 
with  the  origin  of  flowers,  how  is  it  that  there  are 
so  few  blue  ones  ?  I  believe  the  explanation  to  be 
that  all  blue  flowers  have  descended  from  ancestors 
in  which  the  flowers  were  green  ;  or,  to  si)eak  more 
precisely,  in  which  the  leaves  immediately  surround- 
ing the  stamens  and  pistil  were  green ;  and  that  they 
have  passed  through  stages  of  white  or  yellow,  and  gene- 
rally red,  before  becoming  l)lue.  That  all  flowers  were 
originally  green  and  inconspicuous,  as  those  of  so  many 
plants  are  still,  has,  I  think,  been  shown  by  recent 
researches,  especially  those  of  Darwin,  Miiller,  and 
Hildebrand. 

But  what  are  the  considerations  which  seem  to 
justify  us  in  concluding  that  blue  flowers  were  formerly 
yellow  or  white  ?  Let  us  consider  some  of  the  orders 
in  which  blue  flowers  occur  with  others  of  difl*erent 
colours. 

For  instance,  in  the  Kanunculaceae,'  those  with 
simple  open  flowers,  such  as  the  buttercups  and  Thalic- 

*  I  take  mogt  of  the  following  facts  from  Miiller 's  admirable 
work  on  Alpine  Flowers. 


PROBABLE   REASON. 


309 


trums,  are  generally  yellow  or  white.  The  blue 
delphiniums  and  aconites  &re  highly  specialised, 
abnormal  forms,  and  doubtless,  therefore,  of  more  recent 
origin.  Among  the  Caryophyllaceae  the  red  and  purplish 
Bpecies  are  amongst  those  with  highly  specialised 
flowers,  such  as  Dianthua  and  Saponaria,  while  the 
simple  open  flowers,  which  more  nearly  represent  the 
ancestral  type,  such  as  Stellaria^  Cerastiiim,  &c,,  are 
yellow  and  white. 

Take,  again,  the  Primulaceoe.  The  open-floweied, 
honey  less  species,  such  as  Lysimachia  and  Tr^lentalis^ 
are  generally  white  or  yellow ;  while  red,  puq^le,  and 
blue  occur  principally  in  the  highly  specialised  species 
with  tubular  flowers.  The  genus  Anagallis  here,  how- 
ever, certainly  forms  an  exception. 

Among  the  violets  we  find  some  yellow,  some  blue 
species,  and  Miiller  considers  that  the  yellow  is  the 
original  colour.  Viola  biflora,  a  small,  comparatively 
little  specialised  fly-flower,  is  yellow ;  while  the  large, 
long-spiu-red  F.  calcarata,  specially  adapted  to  humble- 
bees,  is  blue.  In  V.  tricolor,  again,  the  smaller 
varieties  are  whitish-yellow ;  the  larger  and  more 
highly  developed,  blue.  Myosotis  versicolor  we  know 
is  first  yellow  and  then  blue  ;  and,  according  to  Miiller, 
one  variety  of  V.  tricolor  alpestris  is  yellow  when  it 
first  opens,  and  gradually  becomes  more  and  more  blue. 
In  this  case  the  individual  flower  repeats  the  phases 
which  in  past  times  the  ancestors  have  passed  through. 

The  only  other  family  I  will  mention  is  that  of  the 


310 


LATK   OKKllN    OF    UMIK    FLOWKKfl 


(iLutiiins.  lien ',  :ilso,  vvliilo  the  well-known  deep  bluo 
Bpfcii'H  have  Ion*;  tubular  llowers,  sju't'lally  adapted  to 
bees  and  buttcrllies,  the  yellow  Gentlana  lutea  kin 
a  niinple  o\hmi  llower  with  exposed  hon<'y. 

JSliilleraiid  Ilildebraud' havealsojiointed  out  that  the 
bhu'  tlowers,  whieh,aeeording  to  this  vit;w,  are  deseended 
from  white  or  yeHow  aneest^M's,  passiui^  in  many  eases 
throut,di  aretl  sta^e,  fVecpuMitly  vary,  as  if  the  eolours  had 
not  liad  time  to  tix  themselves, and  by  atavism  assume 
tlieir  oriijfinal  colour.  Thus  Aqii  iltyla  vul(jarL%  Ajuya 
Genevensis,  PoUnjala  valijiaris,  I\  comosay  Salvia  jmi- 
tenuis^  M(/itsotis  alpestrlsy  and  many  other  bhie  flowi'rs, 
tire  often  ndtlish  or  white;  Viola  calcantta  is  normally 
blue,  but  oeeasit»nally  yellow.  On  the  other  hand,  tlowers 
whieh  are  ni»rinally  white  or  yellow,  rarely,  I  might 
almost  say  never,  vary  to  blue.  Moreover, thoui,'h  it  is 
true  that  there  are  eomparatively  ft«w  blue  tlowers,  still, 
if  we  consider  onlv  those  in  whieh  the  honey  is  eon- 
cealed,  and  whieh  are,  as  we  know,  specially  suited  to 
and  freipiented  by  bees  and  buttertlies,  we  tind  a  larger 
proportion.  Thus,  of  150  tlowers  with  concealed  honey 
observed  by  Miiller  in  the  Swiss  Alps,-  (iS  were  white 
or  veUow,  52  more  or  less  red,  and  oO  blue  or  violet. 

However  this  may  be,  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
prtTt'ding  experiments  show  ctuiclusively  that  l>ees  do 
prefer  one  colour  to  another,  and  that  blue  is  distinctly 
their  favourite. 

•  l>it>  rufbtn  d<*r  h'lhthtH,  \\  2d. 

•  Alp^nblumtfn^  p.  4US. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

WASPS. 

I  HAVE  also  made  a  few  experiments  with  wasps. 

So  far  as  their  behaviour,  when  they  have  discovered 
a  store  of  food,  is  concerned,  what  has  been  said  with 
reference  to  bees  would  apply  in  the  main  to  wasps  also. 
I  will  give  some  of  the  details  in  the  Appendix,  and 
here  only  refer  very  briefly  to  some  of  the  experiments. 

Experiment  1. — Watched  a  wasp,  which  I  had  accus- 
tomed to  come  to  my  room  for  honey,  from  9.36  a.m.  to 
6.25  P.M.  She  made  forty-five  visits  to  the  honey,  but 
did  not  bring  a  single  comrade. 

Experiment  2. — The  following  day  this  wasp  began 
working — at  least,  came  to  my  room  for  the  first  time  at 
6.55  A.M.,  and  went  on  passing  backwards  and  forwards 
most  industriously  till  6.17  p.m.  She  made  thirty-eight 
journeys,  and  did  not  bring  a  single  friend. 

Experiment  3. — Another  wasp  was  watched  from 
6.16  a.m.  till  6  p.m.  She  made  fifty-one  journeys,  and 
during  the  day  five  other  wasps  came  to  the  honey.  1 
do  not  think  she  brought  them. 

Experim,ent  4. — Another  wasp  was  watched  from 
10  A.M.  to  5.15  P.M.;   she  made  twenty-eight  journeys, 


»-jfei»Bi>  »ai5hjijkt»-   •^'   X.'^   ".•?    -~  ■  ■-i.jt     ^i>~i 


312 


rOWER   OF  COMMUNICATION. 


and  brought  no  friend.  This  wasp  returned  the  next 
morning  at  6  A.M. 

ExpeHment  5. — A  wasp  was  watched  from  11.56 
A.M.  to  5.36  P.M.  She  made  twenty-three  journeys, 
without  bringing  a  friend 

Experiment  6. — Another  wasp  between  6.40  a.m. 
and  5,55  p.m.  made  sixty  journeys,  without  bringing  a 
friend. 

Experiment  7.— Another  wasp  between  7.25  A.M. 
and  6.43  p.m.  made  no  less  than  ninety-four  visits  to 
the  honey,  but  did  not  bring  a  single  friend. 

Experiment  8. — I  watched  a  wasp  on  September  19. 
She  passed  regularly  backwards  and  forwards  between  the 
nest  and  the  honey,  but  during  the  whvle  day  only  one 
other  wasp  came  of  herself  to  the  honey ;  this  wasp 
returned  on  the  20th,  but  not  one  other.  The  21st  was 
a  hot  day,  and  there  were  many  wasps  about  the  house  ; 
my  honey  was  regularly  visited  by  the  two  marked  wasps, 
but  during  the  whole  day  only  five  others  came  to  it. 

September  22. — Again  only  one  strange  wasp  came, 
up  to  one  o'clock. 

September  27. — Only  one  strange  wasp  came 

October  2  and  3. — These  days  were  cold;  a  few 
marked  bees  and  wasps  came  to  my  honey,  but  no 
strangers. 

October  4. — Two  strangers. 

October  6. — Only  one  stranger. 

Ol  these  days  the  honey  was  watched  almost  with- 


K'^t*.m       A        -*J'        * 


>■  m  «Ai»^irt?aft^. 


ij  *  j't   *  1 


POWER   01^   nEARING. 


313 


out  intermission  the  whole  day,  and  was  more  or  less 
regularly  visited  by  the  marked  bees  and  wasps. 

My  experiments,  then,  in  opposition  to  the  state- 
ments of  Iluber  and  Dnjardin,  serve  to  show  that  wasps 
and  bees  do  not  in  all  cases  convey  to  one  another  in- 
formation as  to  food  which  they  may  have  discovered, 
though  I  do  not  doubt  that  they  often  do  so.  Of 
course,  when  one  wasp  has  discovered  and  is  visiting 
a  supply  of  syrup,  others  are  apt  to  come  too ;  but  I 
believe  that  in  many  instances  they  merely  follow  one 
another.  If  they  communicated  the  fact,  considerable 
numbers  would  at  once  make  their  appearance  ;  but  I 
have  not  often  found  this  to  be  the  case.  The  frequent 
and  regular  visits  which  my  wasps  paid  to  the  honey 
put  out  for  them,  prove  that  it  was  very  much  to  their 
taste ;  yet  few  others  made  their  appearance. 

These  and  other  observations  of  the  same  tendency 
seem  to  show  that,  even  if  wasps  have  the  power  of  in- 
forming one  another  when  they  discover  a  store  of  good 
food,  at  any  rate  they  do  not  habitually  do  so. 

On  the  whole,  wasps  seem  to  me  more  clever  in 
finding  their  way  than  bees.  I  tried  wasps  with  the 
glass  mentioned  on  p.  278,  but  they  had  no  difficulty 
in  finding  their  way  out. 

ISIy  wasps,  though  courageous,  were  always  on  the 
alert,  and  easily  startled.  It  was,  for  instance,  more 
difficult  to  paint  them  than  the  bees ;  nevertheless, 
though  I  tried  them  with  a  set  of  tuning-forks  covering 


22 


314 


COUIiAGE  OF  WASPS. 


three  octaves,  with  a  shrill  whistle,  a  /)ipe,  a  violin,  and 
my  own  voice,  making  in  each  case  the  loudest  and 
shrillest  sounds  in  my  power,  I  could  see  no  symptoms 
in  any  case  that  they  were  conscious  of  the  noise. 

The  following  fact  struck  me  as  rather  remarkable. 
One  of  my  wasps  smeared  her  wings  with  syrup,  so  that 
she  could  not  fly.  When  this  happened  to  a  bee,  it  was 
only  necessary  to  carry  her  to  the  alighting-board,  when 
she  was  soon  cleaned  by  her  comrades.  But  I  did  not 
know  where  this  wasp's  nest  was,  and  therefore  could 
not  pursue  a  similar  course  with  her.  At  first,  then, 
I  was  afraid  that  she  was  doomed.  I  thought,  however, 
that  I  would  wash  her,  fully  expecting,  indeed,  to  terrify 
her  so  much  that  she  would  not  return  again.  I  there- 
fore caught  her,  put  her  in  a  bottle  half  full  of  water, 
and  shook  her  up  well  till  the  honey  was  washed  ofi['.  I 
then  transferred  her  to  another  bottle,  and  })ut  her  in 
the  sun  to  dry.  When  she  appeared  to  have  recover«*d 
I  let  her  out:  she  at  once  flew  to  her  nest,  and 
I  never  expected  to  see  her  again.  To  my  surprise,  in 
thiiteen  minutes  she  returned  as  if  nothing  had  hi\\)- 
pened,  and  continued  her  visits  to  the  honey  all  the 
afternoon. 

This  experiment  interested  me  so  much  that  I  re 
peated  it  with  another  marked  wasp,  this  time,  how- 
ever, keeping  the  wasp  in  the  water  till  she  was  quite 
motionless  and  insensible.  When  taken  out  of  the 
water  she  soon  recovered;  I  fed  her ;  she  went  quietly 
away  to  her  nest  as  usual,  and  returned  after  the  usual 


TAME  WASP. 


315 


absence.  The  next  morning  this  wasp  was  the  first  U\ 
visit  the  honey. 

I  was  not  able  to  watch  any  of  the  above-mentioned 
wasps  for  more  than  a  few  days,  but  I  kept  a  specimen 
of  Polistes  gallica  for  no  less  than  nine  months. 

I  took  her,  with  her  nest,  in  the  Pyrenees,  early  in 
ISIay.  The  nest  consisted  of  about  twenty  cells,  the 
majority  of  which  contained  an  egg ;  but  as  yet  no 
grubs  had  been  hatched  out,  and,  of  course,  my  wasp 
was  as  yet  alone  in  the  world. 

I  had  no  difficulty  in  inducing  her  to  feed  on  my 
hand  ;  but  at  first  she  was  shy  and  nervous.  She  kept 
her  sting  in  constant  readiness ;  and  once  or  twice  in 
the  train,  when  the  railway  officials  came  for  tickets, 
and  I  was  compelled  to  hm-ry  her  back  into  her  bottle, 
8he  stung  me  slightly — I  think,  however,  entirely  from 
fright. 

Gradually  she  became  quite  used  to  me,  and  when 
I  took  her  on  my  hand  apparently  expected  to  be  fed. 
She  even  allowed  me  to  stroke  her  without  any  appear- 
ance of  fear,  and  for  some  months  I  never  saw  her 
sting. 

When  the  cold  weather  came  on  she  fell  into  a 
drowsy  state,  and  I  began  to  hope  she  would  hibernate 
and  survive  the  winter.  I  kept  her  in  a  dark  place,  but 
watched  her  carefully,  and  fed  her  if  ever  she  seemed 
at  all  restless. 

She  came  out  occasionally,  and  seemed  as  well  as 
UHual  till  near  the  end  of  February,  when  one  day  I 


31G 


POWER  OF  DISTINGUISHING   COLOURS. 


observed  she  had  nearly  lost  the  use  of  her  antennae, 
though  the  rest  of  the  body  was  as  usual.  8he  would 
take  no  food.  Next  day  I  tried  again  to  feed  her ;  but 
the  head  seemed  dead,  though  she  could  still  move  lier 
legs,  wings,  and  abdomen.  The  following  day  I  offered 
her  food  for  the  last  time  ;  but  both  head  and  thorax 
were  dead  or  paralysed ;  she  could  but  move  her  tail, 
a  last  token,  as  I  could  almost  fancy,  of  gratitude  and 
affection.  As  far  as  I  could  judge,  her  death  was  quite 
painless;  and  she  now  occupies  a  place  in  the  British 
Museum. 

Power  of  distingmsldng  Colours. 

As  regards  colours,  I  satisfied  myself  that  wasps  are 
capable  of  distinguishing  colour,  though  they  do  not 
seem  so  much  guided  by  it  as  bees  are. 

July  25. — At  7  a.m.  I  marked  a  common  worker 
wasp  {Vespa  vulf/aria),  and  placed  her  to  some  honey 
on  a  piece  of  green  paper  7  inches  by  4  J.  She  worked 
with  great  industry.  After  she  had  got  well  used  to  the 
green  paper  I  moved  it  18  inches  off,  putting  some 
other  honey  on  blue  paper  where  the  green  had  pre- 
viously been.  She  returned  to  the  blue.  I  then  replaced 
the  green  paper  for  an  hour,  during  which  she  visited 
it  several  times,  after  which  I  moved  it  18  inches,  as 
before,  and  put  brick-red  paper  in  its  place.  She  returntMl 
to  the  brick-red  paper.  But  although  this  experiment 
indicates  that  this  wasp  was  '.ess  strongly  afifected   by 


EXrERIMENTS   WITH  COLOURED  PAPERS.        317 

colours  than  the  bees  which  I  had  previously  observed, 
still  r  satisfied  myself  that  she  was  not  colour-blind, 

I  moved  the  green  paper  slightly  and  put  the 
honey,  which,  as  before,  was  on  a  slip  of  plain  glass, 
about  four  feet  off.  She  came  back  and  lit  on  the  green 
paper,  but  finding  no  honey,  rose  again,  and  hawked 
about  in  search  of  it.  After  90  seconds  I  put  the 
green  paper  under  the  honey,  and  in  15  seconds  she 
found  it.  I  then,  while  she  was  absent  at  the  nest, 
moved  both  the  honey  and  the  paper  about  a  foot  from 
their  previous  positions,  and  placed  them  about  a  foot 
apart.  She  returned  as  usual,  hovered  over  the  paper, 
lit  on  it,  rose  again,  flew  about  for  a  few  seconds,  lit 
again  on  the  paper,  and  again  rose.  After  2  minutes 
had  elapsed  1  slipped  the  paper  under  the  honey,  when 
she  almost  immediately  (within  5  seconds)  lit  on  it. 
It  seems  obvious,  therefore,  that  she  could  see  green. 

I  then  tried  her  with  red.  I  placed  the  honey  on 
brick-red  paper,  and  left  her  for  an  hour,  from  5  P.M.  to 
6,  to  get  accustomed  to  it.  During  this  time  she  con- 
tinued her  usual  visits.  I  then  put  the  honey  and  the 
coloured  paper  about  a  foot  a[)art ;  she  returned  first 
to  the  paper  and  then  to  the  honey.  I  then  transposed 
the  honey  and  the  paper.  This  seemed  to  puzzle  her. 
She  returned  to  the  paper,  but  did  not  settle.  After 
she  had  hawked  about  for  100  seconds  I  put  the  honey 
on  the  red  paper,  when  slie  settled  on  it  at  once.  I 
(hen  put  the  paper  and  the  honey  again  18  inches 
aj)art.     As  before,  she  returned  first  to  the  paper,  but 


l*S>.     ^^^.s.    j^lS.*' 


^„*^s  ^'^wJ^>M;M^J^^wS■^^i■ifc^  ^Bttiifttf'jsAtwr-arfi'aiatttfja 


318    EXPERIMENTS  WITH  COLOURED  PATERS. 

almost  immediately  went  to  the  honey.     In  a  similar 
manner  I  satisfied  myself  that  she  could  see  yellow. 

Again,  on  August  18  1  experimented  on  two  wasps, 
one  of  which  had  been  coming  more  or  less  regu- 
larlj  to  some  honey  on  yellow  paper  for  four  days,  the 
other  for  twelve — coming,  that  is  to  say,  for  several 
days,  the  whole  day  long,  and  on  all  the  others,  with 
two  or  three  exceptions,  for  at  least  three  hours  in  the 
day.  Both,  therefore,  had  got  well  used  to  the  yellow 
paper.  I  then  put  blue  paper  where  the  yellow  had 
been,  and  put  the  yellow  paper  with  some  honey 
on  it  about  a  foot  off.  Both  the  wasps  returned  to  the 
honey  on  the  blue  paper.  I  then  moved  both  the  papers 
about  a  foot,  but  so  that  the  blue  was  somewhat  nearer 
the  original  position.  Both  again  returned  to  the  blue. 
I  then  transposed  the  colours,  and  they  both  returned 
to  the  yellow. 

Very  similar  results  were  given  by  the  wasp  watched 
on  September  11.  After  she  had  made  twenty  visits 
to  honey  on  blue  paper,  I  put  it  on  yellow  paper,  and 
moved  the  blue  12  inches  off.  She  came  back  to  the 
yellow.  I  then  put  vermilion  instead  of  yellow ;  she 
came  back  to  the  vermilion.  I  transposed  the  colours ; 
she  came  back  to  the  vermilion. 

I    put   white    instead  of  vermilion;    she  came  to 

the  blue. 
„      green         „         white  ;  she  came  to  the  blue. 
n      orange       „         green  ;  she  came  to  the  blue. 
I  transposed  the  colours ;  she  returned  to  the  orange. 


EXPERIMENTS  WITU   COLOURED  PAPERS. 


319 


I  put  white  instead  of  orange  ;  she  came  to  the  white. 


» 


>9 


5> 


green 

9) 

white  ;  she  came  to  the  blue. 

purple 

5J 

green ;  she  came  to  the 
purple. 

orange 

j> 

purple ;  she  came  to  the 
orange. 

5> 


green  „  orange;    she  came  to  the 

green. 
I  transposed  the  colours ;  she  came  to  the  blue. 

w  9»  »  „    green. 

So  far,  therefore,  she  certainly  showed  no  special 
predilection  for  the  blue.  I  then  left  her  the  rest 
of  the  day  to  visit  the  honey  on  blue  paper  exclusively. 
She  made  fifty-eight  visits  to  it.  The  following 
morning  I  opened  my  window  at  6.15,  when  she  im- 
mediately made  her  appearance. 

I  let  her  make  ten  more  visits  to  the  honey  on  blue 
paper,  moving  it  about  a  foot  or  so  backwards  and 
forwards  on  the  table.  I  then  put  orange  paper  instead 
of  the  blue,  and  put  the  blue  about  a  foot  ofif.  She 
returned  to  the  orange. 

I  put  yellow  instead  of  orange ;  she  came  to  the 

yellow. 


5> 


>» 


5> 


vermilion 


yellow ;    she   came    to   the 

vermilion, 
she  came  to  the  white, 
white ;    she   came    to   the 

green. 
I  transposed  the  colours  ;  she  came  to  the  blue. 


white 
green 


J5 


5» 


» 


320        EXPERIMENTS  WITH   COLOUKED   PAPERS. 

I  now  put  vermilion  instead  of  green,  and  moved 
both  of  them  a  foot,  but  so  that  the  vermihon  waa 
nearest  the  window,  though  touching  the  blue  ;  she 
came  to  the  vermilion. 

Again,  September  11,  I  marked  a  wasp.  She  re- 
turned to  the  honey  over  and  over  again  with  her  usual 
assiduity.  The  following  morning  I  put  the  honey  on 
green  paper;  she  came  backwards  and  forwards  all  day. 
On  the  13th  I  opened  my  window  at  G.8,  and  she  came 
in  immediately.  During  an  hour  she  made  ten 
journeys.  On  her  leaving  the  honey  for  the  eleventh 
time,  I  plaeed  some  honey  on  vermilion  paper  where 
the  green  had  been,  and  put  the  honey  and  the  green 
paper  about  a  foot  oft". 


She  came  at  7.25  to  the  vermilion.  I  then  put  orange 

instead  of  vermilion. 
7.34      „       orange.       I    then  put  blue 

instead  of  orange. 
7.40      „       blue.     I  then  put  white  in- 
stead of  blue. 
7.47      „       white.     I  then  put  yellow  in- 
stead of  white. 
7.55      „       yellow  and  then  to  the  green. 

I  transposed  the  colours. 
8.  2       „       green.     I   then  moved  both 
colours  about  a  foot,  but  so  that  the  yellow  was  a  little 
nearer  to  the  old  place. 

She  returned  at  8.9  to  the  yellow. 


w 


99 


» 


» 


99 


PERCEPTION   OF  COLOUR. 


321 


I  then  removed  the  yellow  paper  and  honey,  and 
placed  the  honey  which  had  been  on  the  green  paj^)er 
about  a  foot  from  it  on  the  table. 

At  8.15  she  returned  and  lit  on  the  green  paper, 
but  immediately  flew  off  to  the  honey.  I  then  trans- 
posed the  honey  and  the  paper. 

At  8.24  she  returned  and  again  lit  on  the  paper,  but 
immediately  flew  off  to  the  honey. 

Thus,  therefore,  though  it  is  clear  that  wasps  can 
distinguish  colours,  they  appear,  as  might  be  expected 
from  other  considerations,  to  be  less  guided  by  them 
than  is  the  case  with  bees. 

I  have  been  much  struck  by  the  industry  of  wasps. 
Tliey  commence  work  early  in  the  morning,  and  do  not 
leave  off  till  dusk.  I  have  several  times  watched  a 
wasp  the  whole  day,  and  from  morning  to  evening,  if 
not  disturbed,  they  worked  without  any  interval  for  rest 
or  refreshment. 

15eing  anxious  to  compare  bees  and  wasps  in  this 
respect,  on  August  0,  1882,  I  accustomed  a  wasj)  and 
three  bees  to  come  to  some  honey  put  out  for  them  on 
two  tables,  one  allotted  to  the  wasp,  the  other  to  the 
bees.  The  last  bee  came  at  7.15  p.m.  The  wasp  con- 
tinued working  regularly  till  7. 47,  coming  at  intervals 
of  between  six  and  seven  minutes.  Next  morning,  when 
I  went  into  my  study  a  few  minutes  after  4  a.m.,  I 
found  the  was])  already  at  the  honey.  The  first  bee 
came  at  5.45,  the  second  at  0. 

Tl)e  wasp  occui)ie(l  about  a  minute,  or  even  less,  in 
Bui»plying  herself  with  a  load  of  honey,  and  made  during 


322 


CONCLUSION. 


the  day,  as  shown  in  the  Appendix  (p.  423),  no  less  than 
116  visits  to  the  honey,  or  2S2  journeys  between  my 
room  and  her  nest,  during  which  she  carried  off  rather 
more  than  sixty-four  grains  of  honey. 

It  would,  however,  perhaps  be  unfair  to  the  bees  to 
regard  this  as  indicating  that  they  are  less  industrious 
than  wasps.  The  deficiency  may  be  due  to  their  being 
more  susceptible  to  cold. 

I  may  add  that  I  then  left  home  for  a  few  days.  I 
covered  over  the  honey,  leaving  only  a  small  entrance 
for  the  wasp.  When  I  returned,  on  the  12th,  I  found 
her  still  at  work,  and  by  herself.  It  was  evident  that 
she  had  continued  her  labours,  but  without  bringing 
any  friends  to  assist  her. 

Every  one  has  heard  of  a  *  bee-line.'  It  would  be 
no  less  correct  to  talk  of  a  wasp-line.  On  August  6  I 
marked  a  wasp,  the  nest  of  which  was  round  the  corner 
of  the  house,  so  that  her  direct  way  home  was  not  out 
of  the  window  by  which  she  entered,  but  in  the  opposite 
direction,  across  the  room  to  a  window  which  was  closed. 
I  watched  her  for  some  hours,  during  which  time  she 
constantly  went  to  the  closed  window,  and  lost  much 
time  in  buzzing  about  at  it.  August  7,  I  was  not  able 
to  watch  her.  August  8  and  9,  I  watched  her  from  0.25 
A.M.,  when  she  made  her  first  visit.  She  still  constantly 
went  to  the  closed  window.  August  10  and  11,  I  was 
away  from  home.  August  12,  she  made  her  first  visit 
at  7.40,  and  still  went  to  the  closed  window.  August 
13,  her  first  visit  was  at  6.15  ;  she  went  to  the  closed 
window  and  remained  buzzing  about  there  till  T,  when 
I  caught  her  and  put  her  out  at  the  open  one  by  which 
she  always  entered.     August  15  and  16,  she  continued 


CONCLUSION. 


323 


to  visit  the  honey,  but  still,  always,  even  after  ten  days' 
experience,  continued  to  go  to  the  closed  window,  which 
was  in  the  direct  line  home  ;  though,  on  finding  it  closed, 
she  returned  and  went  round  through  the  open  window 
by  which  she  entered. 


-  'ti 


k'taJ4tA.^jiitSAi 


324 


DIVISION  OF  LABOUR. 


i 


e 
S 

o* 

'^ 

91 

.1 

•5 

^ 

• 

i5 

5^ 

K 

'^J 

M 

oc     O 

KH 

^    ^ 

o 

i    u. 

^ 

!2; 

'I  8 

P-4 

2 

Pm 

f*^ 

1 

<1 

^ 

-« 

•S 

^ 

n^a 

^ 

• 

s 

1— 1 

« 

pa 
Hi 

n 

1 

^ 

^ 

o 

O        O        OO                             OOCJO             o 

O) 

•                                                        CO     •     • 

:      o        ;o     o  o  ©  o  _,    •    •©         o 

00 

_             .  00                              M    CO 

:     o       :j^     ooOj_^j_^ooo           : 

t« 

o  o 

oooooo     occ.ooooo      o 

«o 

o  o 

K^    ioooo      co.ojooo    Joo 

>o 

o  o 

U3 

oooooo.    oooco oooooo 

•• 

o    : 

• 

o    :  o  o  o  o  _^  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  oo 

CO 

o    i 

'^    .              .CO                CO 

-oo    :  o  o      o  o  o^  o  o  o  o  o  o 

*» 

■0-3 

olljoo  O  OO  O  O  OO  o  o  o    joooo 

^^ 

.  CO  lO  CO 

oooo    :j2^^^  oooo  o  o  o  o  o  o 

o  o 

CO 

^^OOOOOOOOOMOOOOOOO 

^                                       5^ 

r^ 

oo 

^oooo^oooooooooooo 

O 
1-^ 

o  o 

ooooooooooooooo^oo 

05 

o  o 

oooooooo'o^^^ooooooo 

00 

o  o 

CO  '*                                    "<»<  CO         -f<  "«*<         CO 

j^  j^  oooo  o^^j^^oj^^^^oj^  oooo 

t^ 

CO 

oooooooooooooocc  oo 

o 

CO 
CO 

o    : 

o^ooooooo    jooo    •    1    |cc> 

^ 
^ 

Nov.  20 
21 

(Mr0'+'i':'^i^a;c50'-iwc0'**c«0b-ooa> 

<M  (>1  iM  W  C^  C^  C-I  W  CO 

6 

o 

D 

DIVISION  OF  LABOUR. 


825 


cocoooco 

CO              CO 

y^^        Oj^OOOOOO 

o  c  c  o  o 

o  Jj  !;  o  c  o  o  o  o  o  o 

OOOOOOOOOO 

o^ooo 

OCO      ;0     jOOOOO 

ooocoooooo 

CO 

o    :o^o 

CO 


iC'Oco    :OOOoco      co    :0    :Oooooo 

o 

y.^ 

•  • 

•  • 

cooooooooooocooooooooooc 

o 

•o 

•o 

CO 

coooooooooo^^ooooo    :00oooo 

o 

io 

•o 

OOOOOOOOOO  oooc^^oo'o    |oooo 

o 

!o 

.  CO 

o    •Jf'oo    jooooooooo    ioooo    |o    i 

o 

io 

o  o 

00^*00000    jooooooooooooooo 

o 

1  o  o  o 

CO                                                  CO 

CO      O  o  o  o  o  o  o  ^^  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o 

o 

io 

CO 

•  o o o o o  . '  o o o   '  o o o o    'oooooooo    oooo    * 


•  O'ooooo    -ooooooo    'OOOOOOOO    oooo 


OOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO  ooooo 


ooooooooooo 

ooooooooo 

CO 

?5 

o  o  o 

ecc  CO 

o  o  o 

00 

o  o  o  o  o  ^^  o 

»o 
:00oooooooo^o 

o 

o 

o  o 

.  CO 

■ 

CO 

CO 
ooooooooooooooooco    :    -oooo    oooo 

/-I 


CO 


CO 


:oo        •    -o    •    •    *    'OOOOOOOO    •    •    -oo    ooo.,  o 


C--C1CO--f»CCO»^«CSO--<MCO-+'>0'Xr^«?50---^(M       C0'*<»CCD*- 
^^X4^<-ii-ii-ii-^i-ii-iC^<MC<l<MlMC^C0<M(M<MCOCO 

d 

C4 


326 


DIVISION   OF  LA150UR. 


o 


pa 

p 

< 


oooooo       ooooooooooooo    oo 


CO 


ooooooo      ooooooooooooo    oo 


to 


oooooo      ooooooooooooo    oo 


o    'ooooo      ooooo    jo    -o    jooo    oo 


i  «o 

•    ;  ooooooo      ooooooooooooo    oo 


le 

O  O  O 

o  o  o  o 

o^ooociO  ooooo 

©o 

•* 

OO  O 

oooo 

to 

ooooooooooooo 

o  o 

CO 

oooo 

o  o  o  o  o  o  "^  <^  ®  "^ '^    :  "^ 

00 

c< 


o  ^ol-^ooo   OOOOOOOOOOOOO  oo 


ooooooo   ooooooooooooo  oo 


oo  :  o  oo  o^l^  o  »z  ®  "^  "^  :00oooo  oo 
* £  H 


t^  .  CO 

ooooo  :0   oo.O'^o  :00ooo  oo 
»o  o  o  o  o  o  o   ooooooooooooo  oo 

^ 

eo 

o.oOo'^'^'^      oJioooOo'^ooooo    oo 


CC    «0  K.         «0  e>»  00 

oo^^ooo       o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  »;,    ^ 


;z;  z 


;<^5< 


m  (o  «o  «o 

oooooOo       o  o  o  o  <=>  Oo  ^  o  o  o  o  o    oo 


o 

CO 


s 


•  oo    'Ooo      oo    "OO    Joooooo    I    oo 


a 


DIVISION   OF  LABOUR. 


327 


© 

ooooooooooooooooo©ooo 

ooo 

© 

00                                                               00 
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOO 

oo  o 

© 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

ooo 

o 

00                 CC  30                                                                    OS 

OO^OOOOOOOOOOOo 

00 

ooo 

© 

i£                  .                                 M                                       00 

oOO     -OOOOOooOOOOOOo 

oooo 

oo© 

o 

COOOoOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

©  o  o 

o 

COOOOOCOCOOOOOO     5;5 

oooo 

ooo 

© 

oo    :Oo    :Ooooooooooooooooooo 

o 

coooooooooooooooooooooooo 

o 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo 

o 

ooooooooooooooooo 

"•ooooooo 

o 

COOOOOOOOO'OOO'^OOO 

oo 
:  o  o  o  o  o  o  o 

Sf'^o  oooooo  cocoooooco 

o    1  o  o  o 

coo 

o 

ccoccoococccccooo 

o    1  o  o  o  o  o  o 

© 

©OOOOOOO  c  oc  r  cooooooooc 

ooo 

© 

oooT  ooccccoooooooooooc 

o  o    \ 

© 

ooo    loooooooooo    |o    \ 

:  o  o    1  o 

:  ^    : 

s 

—  "-OJX'^iCCOb-.OOOiO  —  C«»W-f>C<^ 

r^  QO  r>  o  — ' 

(M  rr:  -fi 
W  ?1  CM 

et                                               1-^,— (,—(— <>-Hi— (t— t 

• 

1 

328 


DIVISION  OF  LABOUR. 


o 
1 

o 

Jz;« 

o  o  o  o  o 

o 

Ok 

o 

• 

•"A 

o  o  o        :  o    :  o 

o      o 

«> 

5^ 

o 

•o 

CO  CO 

0,^,^00000 

i      o 

r- 

CO  ?o 

ooooooo 

«o 

oo 

52; 

io 

coo 

oooooooo    1 

125 

OO  o 

5 


■o 


O) 


00 


o 


IQ  CC  V  >0  CO 

.    o      o  o  o  o  .    ^  .    o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o,_  o  o 

z  A^\A  z 


O      .  »0      .         to  »0  CO 

I--      •         t-»      'O^^OOi^OO.^ 


CO  to 

j^OOOj^OOO 


CO 

to     .  lO                      cc  to 

o    :o^    :  j^  o  o  o  o  ^^  j^  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o 

«« 

o    i 

»o       o                                              ... 

o  o  o  ^  o  j^  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o    :00    :0    : 

t^ 

OO 

»o           o    .  «o  «n                                           «o 

^,  OO^^     -^^000000000,^000 

U5  13 

zz 

b-                lO         »0                       CO  CO  l^                              to             . 

o  o 

>o                                          to    . 

.     O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  v^     -oooooo    -o 

o 

o  o 

ooo'o,,  oooooooooooooo 

IQ  to 

o,        o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  ^  o  o  o 


OO      ^,_ooo^o^,oooooooo^_oocS 


lo      >n  »o      to  CO      to  to  CO 


ZZ 


tCi^OO  .  ..to, 

,^  o -t_,  ooooooo  o    :0  00    .    :00,,    :0 


> 

o 


o 


DIVISION   OF  LABOUR. 


329 


CO                                                      "5 

OOOOOOOOjgj 

O      o  c 
o  o  o  c 

JOOOOO'-DOC 

5 

5 
r- 

to 

OOCOOOOOOio 

5000  0  000C 

OO    'O    -ooooo 

lO               to  »-": 

.ooooccoo< 

CO 

OOO     -OOOOOio 

CO    jooooooooc 

o 

t.                   Its 

00000,^000^ 

OOOOO' 

to         lO        o 

• 
• 
• 

C^                                                  »«  tC  lO 

OOOj^OOOOOOO^^^^j^^O 

•  o  ._  o  o  o  o  o 

• 
• 
• 

OOOOOOOOCco 

CO 

OOOOj^OOO 

; 

13 

OOOO    -ooooooooo^ 

oo,_^  ooooo 

• 

• 
• 

oooooo    looo 

oooooooo 

ooooo^^oooo 

z  z  "^  z  ^ 

oooooooo 

• 
• 
• 

CO 
o  o  o  c  o  o  o  o  o  .^ 

o 

ooocoooooo 

OOO    :  o 

oe^cccce 

to 

ooooon;oooo 

CO                                       "2                                        ^ 

,^00000,- oooooo 

o 

to 

OOOOOOOOOj^ 

CO 
f-^  e       ooooo 
OOj^ *= 

CO 

ooooo    :Ooo^ 

to         "3 

to 

o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o    :  iz;  t^r  ^ -^^  ®  ® 

to            CO 

o       o     •  o     •     •     *     *  ^ 

"A       •       '   '   •     A 

ooooo 

o  o    :    1     OOOO 

WCC-^iO'-Ot^QOC^O  — 

"M  CC   -f  »(?  CO 
(N  (M  N  (N  C<> 

1-  T  3:  O  --  "-  c^i  M 

<M  (N  Ol  CC  « 

• 

1 

-^ 

23 

I  <W>'Cti..— '*!'» 


330 


DIVISION   OF  LABOUR. 


e 


o 

1-^ 

O 

o  c  o  o 

o 

CI  rs            CS 

o  o 

o 

o 

O 

l-io  o  o 

Ci 

CS  CS 

o  o 

o 

ao 

o 

o  o  o  o 

o 

o  o  o  o  o  o 

o  o 

o 

t* 

o  o  o  o 

55 

CS  CS 

o  o 

o 

» 

o 

jooo 

CS                      CS 

oo 

o 

o 

o 

:  o  o  o 

OS 

CS  CS 

oo 

o 

•* 

o 

:  o  o  o 

o 

CS 

oo 

o 

V5 

cc 

o 

o  o  o  o 

o 

c  o  o  o  o  o 

oo 

o 

c* 

o 

oo  o  o 

o 

o  c  o  o  o  o 

o  o 

o 
52; 

^H 

• 
X 

•no 

o  o  o  o 

Q 

o  o  c  o  o  o 

!^= 

o 

r« 

o 

o    ioo 

• 
• 

o  c  o  o  o  o 

o  o 

o 

1-t 

r-» 

o 

o    1  c  o 

o 

o  o    1  o  o  o 

oo 

o 

o 

o 

o  o  o  o 

o 

o  o  o  o  o  o 

o  o 

o 

» 

o 

o  c  o  o 

© 

•-  »a 

a-  ^^  O  O  O  O  O 
E  << 

o  o 

o 

00 

o 

o  o  o  o 

o 

o  o  o  o  o  o 

o  o 

■^1  o 

t» 

o 

o  c  o  o 

o 

CS  CS 

o  o 

o 

TO 

o 

o  o    1  o 

11  ^ 

CS 

!o 

o 

»o 

• 

•-3 

«0  I-  00  CS 

o 

—  CI  rt  f  «.-;  tr 

1-  GO 

DIVISION  OF  LABOUR. 


331 


o 

o 

;z; 

O 

o 

• 

6 

CS 

c 

coo 

o 

^- 

c 

o 
ei 

p. 

o  o  o  o 

o 

o 

o 

O 

o 

o  o  o 

o  o  o  o 

o 

o 

o 

O 

1— « 

o  o  o 

"ooo 

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

1-H 

.if 

• 
• 
• 

0       N  11    N  11 
0       N  11      0 
0          0         0 

oooo  • 

o 

>-* 

o 

o 

o 

OOOj^ 

o 

o 

f— ) 

Jz; 

o 

o 

o 
o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

^oo 
o    io 

OOOO 

o 

OOOO 

o 

o 

Friend 
m.iiked 

N  11 

o 

o 

o  o  o 

OO^O 

o 

o 

o 

^ 

o 

o  o  o 

OOOO 

o 

• 
• 

o 

o 

o 

I-H 

'^  o  o 

;z; 

coo 

oojo 

o 

• 
• 
• 

o 

o 

o 

OOOO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

ooo 

OO^O 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

>- 

OOOO 

o 

o 

o 

I— • 

5-5 

o 

ooo 

OOOO 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

oo    J 

oojo 

• 
• 

o 

o 

o 
i4 

l-( 

_52; 

1-H 

•^  oo  o 

o 

C4 

\rt  --c  tx 
W  M  C<1 

QO  r:  o  — 

W  C^  CC  CO 

332 


DIVISION    OF   LABOUR. 


o 

0000^^0^,00-      00*^000000      ooo 

a» 

ooooooooooo"'ooo'^'''"oo      ooo 

1     yj                                                  (MOO 

•           ooooooc"'oo''^ooooooo     ooo 

»-• 

oo    |o  oo  "'^^  o  o  o  oo  o  oo  o  o  oo     oo*^ 

CO 

'^'^^ooo,,  ooooo'^'^oooooo     ooo 
^  ^  5?-.              -^                       ^  ^. 

•o 

o  o  o  o  o  o  2®  ®  ®  ®  ®  ®  o  o  <^  ^  o  o  o      ooo 

ooo^oo^'oooo^oooooooo      o    ^o 

o    -oo    looooooooooooooo      ooo 

o 

N 

ooooooo'^ooo'^oo^ooooooooo 

• 

- 

O  O  O  O  O  O  "^  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O     *  O '*  O  O     'OO 

^                               '    y.         ' 

Pi 

1-3 
CS 

< 

00000'^0'~"^00000000     "OOOOOO 

y    yy. 

^4 

OOOOOOOOOOO'^'^OOOO     •OOOOO'^ 

yy 

o 

ooooooo          ooo'^ooooo^'ooooo 
55  5?;             ^;                     :*r, 

o» 

ooooooo      ooo^oooooooooooo 

y          y, 

oc 

OOOOOO'^OO'^OOOO  O'^  00*^00000 

y^       y.                y,       y. 

»* 

--             -H             ^H        -^ 

ooooo'^oo^oo'^o'^ooooooooo    : 
^        5?5        J2;     ^ 

o 
se 

«o 

oo    •oooo'^ooooo    -o    •    'oo    *    •    •    '•    '' 
25                            

1 

»^  e»  jc  •*  »o  -^  t-  »  c;  c  -<  -M  «  -f  »t^  -^c  t-  X)  Ci  -^  — 1  (M  r-  -t» 

'-^  —  —  —  -•"  —  —•-'^!M(MC'|«©« 

5t4 

RECOGNITION  OF  FRIENDa 


3.sa 


APPENDIX  B. 

TuE  following  are  the  details  referred  to  on  p.  122:-- 

On  August  4,  1875,  1  separated  one  of  my  colonies 
of  Formica  fusca  into  two  halves,  and  kept  them 
entirely  apart. 

On  March  15  following  I  put  in  a  stranger  and  one 
of  the  old  companions  from  the  other  half  of  the  nest  at 
7  A.M.,  and  watched  them  longer  than  those  previously 
experimented  on.  The  stranger  was  very  soon  attacked ; 
the  friend  seemed  quite  at  home. 

June  4,  1876. — 8  a.m.  Put  into  the  nest  a  stranger 
and  an  old  friend.  The  stranger  was  at  once  attacked, 
and  dragged  about  by  one  of  her  antennae.  9  a.m.  The 
stranger  was  being  attacked;  the  friend,  though  not 
attacked,  kept  rather  away  from  the  other  ants. 
10.30  a.m.  The  stranger  was  attacked,  not  the  friend. 
12.30  P.M.  ditto,  1  P.M.  ditto,  1.30  p.m.  ditto,  2  p.m 
ditto,  2.30  P.M.  ditto,  4  P.M.  ditto,  4.30  P.M.  ditto.  5  P.M 
The  stranger  was  dragged  out  of  the  nest. 

June  5. — Put  in  a  stranger  and  a  friend  at  9.30.  At 
10  the  stranger  was  being  attacked,  not  the  friend. 
10  A.M.  ditto,  10.30  A.M.  ditto. 

At  11  A.M.  1  put  in  another  stranger  and  another  old 
friend,  when  nearly  the  same  thing  was  repeated.  At. 
11.30  A.M.  the  stranger  was  being  dragged  about  by  her 
antennfc;  the  friend  w^as  not  attacked.  12  A.M.  The 
stranger  was  by  herself  in  a  corner  of  the  nest.  The 
friend  was  almost  cleaned  from  the  paint  by  which  she 
was  marked.  I  then  put  in  another  friend.  At  2  P.M. 
the   stranger  was  being  dragged  about  by  an  antenna, 


RLLe.:  x-M^M 


334 


EECOGNITION  OF  FRIENDS 


the  friend  was  being  cleaned.  2.30  r.M.  ditto,  3  ditto. 
At  3.30  P.M.  the  friend  was  almost  clean :  the  stranger 
was  being  dragged  about.     6  P.M.  ditto. 

JunelO. — Repeated  the  same  observation  at  10  a.m., 
but  transposed  the  colours  by  which  they  were  distin- 
guished, so  that  there  might  be  no  question  whether 
perhaps  the  difference  of  treatment  was  due  to  the 
difference  of  colouring.  At  1 1  a.m.  the  friend  was  all 
right,  the  stranger  was  being  dragged  about  by  an 
antenna.  11.30  A.M.  the  friend  all  right,  the  stranger 
being  dragged  about  by  one  leg.  12  A.M.  ditto, 
12.30  P.M.  the  friend  all  right,  the  stranger  being 
dragged  about  by  an  antenna.  1  P.M.  ditto,  2  P.M.  ditto, 
3  P.M.  ditto. 

July  3. — Put  in  a  friend  and  a  stranger  at  11  a.m. 
At  11.30  A.M.  the  stranger  was  being  dragged  about, 
the  friend  was  being  cleaned.  12  a.m.  ditto.  12.30  A.M. 
both  were  now  being  attacked.     1  P.M.  ditto. 

This  seems  to  show  that  some  at  least  of  the 
ants  have  forgotten  their  old  friends.  Perhaps,  however, 
these  were  young  ants. 

July  16.— Put  in  two  friends  at  7.45  A.M.  At  8  a.m. 
each  was  being  dragged  about  by  an  antenna.  8.30  a.m. 
one  was  being  dragged  about  by  both  antennae,  the 
other  by  both  antennc-eand  one  leg.  10  a.m.  both  were 
still  attacked,  but  it  is  curious  that  at  the  same  time 
others  were  cleaning  off  the  paint.  12.30  P.M.  both 
still  attacked. 

July  17.— Put  in  a  friend  at  8.15  A.M.  At  8.30  a.m. 
they  were  cleaning  her.  At  9  a.m.  sh«  was  almost  clean. 
9.30  a.m.  she  seemed  quite  at  home,  and  had  only  one 
spot  of  paint  on  her.     10.20  A.M.  ditto. 

July  20. — Put  in  a  friend  and  stranger  at  9  A.M. 
At  9.30  A.M.  the  friend  seemed  all  right ;  the  stranger 
was  in  a  corner  by  herself.  At  10  A.M.  the  friend  was 
being  cleaned  ;  the  stranger  had  come  out  of  her  comer 
and  was  being  fiercely  attacked.     At  1 1  A.M.  the  friend 


A.FTER   LONG   SEPARATION. 


335 


seemed  quite  at  home  and  was  almost  cleaned  ;  the 
stranger  was  being  dragged  about,  but  was  almost  cleaned. 
At  12  A.M.  the  same  thing  was  going  on,  and  also  at 
12.30  P.M.  At  1.30  P.M.  the  stranger  was  still  being 
pulled  aliout ;  but  what  struck  me  as  remarkable,  the 
friend  also  had  hold  of  one  of  the  ants  by  an  antenna. 
At  2  P.M.  the  friend  was  by  herself,  the  stranger  was 
being  attacked.  At  4  P.M.  the  friend  again  had  hold 
of  an  ant  by  an  antenna ;  the  stranger  was  being 
pulled  about.  At  5  P.M.  the  friend  seemed  quite  at 
home  in  the  nest,  the  stranger  was  dragged  out  of  the 
nest.  The  following  morning  I  was  still  able  to  dis- 
tinguish the  friend  ;  she  seemed  quite  at  home. 

August  5. — Put  in  a  stranger  and  a  friend  at  8  A.M. 
At  8.30  A.M.  both  were  attacked.  9  a.m.  ditto,  9.30 
A.M.  ditto,  10  A.M.  ditto,  11  A.M.  ditto,  12.,30  a.m.  ditto. 

Auf/itfit  6. — Kepeated  the  experiment  at  2  a.m. 
Both  ants  hid  themselves  in  comers.  At  3.30  a.m.  tlie 
stranger  was  being  attacked  ;  the  friend  was  in  a  corner 
by  herself.  At  4.30  A.M.  both  were  attacked.  5.30 
A.M.  ditto. 

August  7.—  Put  in  a  stranger  and  a  friend  at  8.30 
A.M.  A.t  8.45  A.M.  both  were  being  attacked.  9.30  a.m. 
ditto,  10  a.m.  ditto. 

August  8. — Put  in  a  friend  at  7  a.m.  At  8  a.m. 
she  seemed  quite  at  home  with  the  others.  At  9  A.M. 
they  had  almost  cleaned  her.  At  9.30  A.M.  she  seemed 
quite  at  home  with  the  others.     At  10  A.M.  ditto. 

August  12. — Put  in  a  friend  and  a  stranger  at  7 
P.M.  Both  were  immediately  attacked.  7.15  a.m.  they 
were  being  dragged  about.  7.45  A.M.  ditto,  8  ditto, 
8.15  A.M.  ditto. 

August  13. — Put  in  a  friend  at  6.30  a.m.  At  7.50 
A.M.  two  attacked  her.  At  8  A.M.  she  was  being 
attacked  by  one  ant,  but  another  was  cleaning  her. 
8.15  A.M.  ditto.  8.45  a.m.  Two  were  attacking  her, 
one  dragging  at  her  by  an  antenna.     9  a.m.  ditto,  9.30 


'■"■^■Sf--   '*>■    if    r 


.-.as^jAiM^  •-.  ■*■ 


^''::tjitit^ 


336 


RECOGNITION  OF  FRIENDS 


AFTER  LONG  SEPARATION. 


337 


A.M.  ditto,  10  A.M.  ditto,  10.30  a.m.  ditto.     Others  had 
almost  entirely  cleaned  off  the  paint. 

At  5  P.M.  put  a  friend  and  a  stranger  into  the  othei 
half  of  the  nest.  At  5.15  A.M.  the  friend  seemed 
quite  at  home,  and  had  been  nearly  cleaned ;  the 
stranger  was  being  attacked.  5.30  A.M.  ditto,  8.15  A.M. 
ditto.  7.15  A.M.  Two  of  the  ants  were  dragging  the 
stranger  out  of  the  nest;  the  friend  had  been  quite 
cleaned. 

August  14. — At  8.15  A.M.  I  put  an  ant  from  each 
half  of  the  nest  into  the  other.  At  8.30  a.m.  one  was 
alone  in  the  corner,  the  other  was  being  attacked.  At 
9  a.m.  both  were  being  attacked.  9.30  a.m.  ditto,  10.30 
A.M.  ditto ;  1 1.30  a.m.  ditto,  both,  however,  being  almost 
cleaned. 

August  19. — At  8  a.m.  I  put  into  each  nest  one 
from  the  other.  The  one  was  received  amicably  and 
cleaned,  so  that  after  a  while  I  lost  sight  of  her.  It  was 
clear  that  she  was  received  in  a  friendly  manner, 
because  no  fighting  was  going  on.  At  1 1  a.m.  I  put 
into  the  same  nest  another  friend:  at  11.30  a.m.  she 
was  all  right,  and,  being  cleaned  at  12  A.M.,  I  could  no 
longer  distinguish  her. 

The  ant  put  into  the  other  nest  was  not  so  well 
received.  At  9.30  a.m.,  11.30  a.m.,  and  12.30  a.m.  she 
was  being  dragged  about,  but  she  was  also  being  cleaned, 
and  after  12. .30  a.m.  I  lost  sight  of  her.  As  the  paint- 
had  been  entirely  removed,  but  no  ant  was  being 
attacked,  I  have  no  doubt  she  was  at  length  recognised 
as  a  friend. 

August  21. — At  10.15  a.m.  I  again  put  into  each 
nest  an  ant  from  the  other.  One  was  at  once  clenned, 
and  I  could  not  find  her.  I  should,  however,  certainly 
have  seen  her  if  she  had  been  attacked. 

The  other  was  at  first  attacked  bv  one  of  the  ants  ; 
but  this  soon  ceased,  and  they  began  to  clean  her.  By 
11.30  A.M.  she  was  quite  at  her  ease  among  the  other 


/I 


ants,  and  almost  clean.  After  12  a.m.  I  could  not  see  her 
any  more.  At  1.40  P.M.  1  again  put  into  each  nest  an 
ant  from  the  other,  accompanied,  however,  in  both  cases 
by  a  stranger.  The  contrast  was  most  marked,  and  no 
one  who  saw  it  could  have  doubted  that  the  friends  and 
strangers  were  respectively  recognised  as  such,  or  that 
they  themselves  were  fully  aware  of  their  posi- 
tion. 

In  the  first  nest  the  friend  at  once  joined  the  other 
ants,  who  began  to  clean  her.  The  stranger  ran  about 
in  evident  alarm,  was  pursued  by  the  others,  and  took 
refuge  in  a  corner.  At  2  p.m.  the  friend  was  with  the 
other  ants,  the  stranger  alone  in  a  comer.  At  2.25  p.m. 
the  friend  was  almost  cleaned,  and  after  2.30  P.M.  we 
could  no  longer  distinguish  her :  the  stranger  was  still 
alone.  At  3.40  P.M.  she  came  out  of  her  hiding-place 
and  was  attacked ;  after  a  while  she  escaped  from  the 
nest.  At  5.30  P.M.  she  met  one  of  the  ants,  and  a 
battle  at  once  began.  I  separated  the  combatants  and 
put  the  stranger  back  near  her  own  nest,  which  she  at 
once  entered,  and  where  she  was  soon  cleaned  by  her 
own  friends. 

I  will  now  describe  the  adventures  of  the  other 
couple.  The  friend  immediately  joined  the  other  ants  ; 
the  stranger  was  hunted  about  and  soon  seized.  At  2 
P.M.  the  friend  was  all  right,  the  stranger  being  dragged 
about.  At  2.30  P.M.  ditto.  The  stranger  was  soon 
afterwards  dragged  out  of  the  nest.  The  friend,  whom 
I  watched  at  intervals  till  6.30  p.m.,  continued  on  the 
best  terms  with  the  others ;  it  was  quite  clear,  there- 
fore, that  they  did  not  regard  her  as  a  stranger. 
She  herself  was  not  afraid  of,  and  did  not  avoid 
them.  Still  for  some  time  she  apparently  wished  to 
return  to  the  ants  with  whom  she  had  recently  lived. 
She  came  out  of  the  nest,  and  tried  to  find  her  way 
home.  I  put  her  back  again,  however,  and  by  the  even- 
ing she   seemed  to    have    accustomed  herself   to  the 


•a>  .-Jt-l, 


..■u,  --.fA^J^^i^iy 


iu^ft ."  ■  Mi.-WLl-  "^^^ 


338 


RECOGNITION   OF   FRIENDS 


AFTER  LONG   SEPARATION. 


33J) 


change.  I  then  opened  the  door  of  the  nest  soon  aftet 
5  P.M. ;  but  she  showed  no  wish  to  leave  her  newly  re- 
joined friends. 

September  1.— At  11  a.m.  I  again  put  into  each  half 
of  the  nest  an  ant  from  the  otlier  and  a  stranger.  In 
the  one  nest  the  friend  joined  the  other  ants,  and  seemed 
quite  at  home;  the  stranger,  on  the  contrary,  en- 
deavoured to  conceal  herself,  and  at  length,  at  4  in  th»* 
afternoon,  escaped  from  the  nest. 

In  the  other  division  the  friend  also  appeared  quite 
at  home.  The  stranger,  on  the  contrary,  endeavoured 
to  escape,  but  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  was 
attacked  and  killed. 

October  1 5. — At  8  a.m.  I  repeated  the  sa^ne  expen- 
nient.  In  the  first  nest,  up  to  10  a.m.,  neither  ant  was 
attacked  ;  and  it  is  curious  that  the  stranger  was  licked, 
and,  indeed,  almost  cleaned.  Soon  afterwards,  however, 
the  ants  began  to  attack  her,  and  at  three  p.m.  she  was 
expelled,  the  friend,  on  the  contrary,  being  quite  at 
home.  Still  the  following  day,  at  noon,  I  found  her  out 
of  the  nest  (all  the  rest  being  within).  This  almost 
looks  as  if,  though  safe,  she  did  not  feel  hai)py ;  and 
I  accordingly  put  her  back  to  her  old  home,  which 
she  at  once  entered. 

In  the  other  division  the  friend  was  soon  nearly 
cleaned,  and  the  stranger  partly  so.  The  friend  seemed 
quite  at  home.  At  12.30  the  stranger  was  being 
dragged  about  by  three  ants ;  but  after  this  I  lost  sight 
of  her. 

Novembet^  10.— At  11.30  put  into  one  of  the  divi- 
sions a  friend  and  a  stranger.  At  12  the  friend  was 
all  right,  the  stranger  was  being  dragged  about  by  an 
antenna.  P>om  this  time  till  7  p.m.  the  stranger  was 
continually  being  dragged  about  or  held  a  prisoner, 
while  the  friend  was  quite  at  home. 

November  11.— At  10.15  I  put  into  the  other 
division  a  friend  and  a  stranger.     At  11  the  friend  was 


quite  at  home,  and  the  colour  with  which  I  had  marked 
her  had  been  almost  cleaned  off.  The  stranger,  on  the 
contrary,  was  being  dragged  about  by  two  of  the  ants. 
After  this,  however,  I  could  not  find  her.  She  had,  no 
doubt,  escaped  from  the  nest. 

November  12. — The  following  day,  therefore,  at 
11.30,  I  again  put  a  friend  and  a  stranger  into  this 
division  of  the  nest.  The  friend  seemed  quite  at 
home.  One  of  the  ants  at  once  seized  the  stranger  by 
an  antenna  and  began  dragging  her  about.  I  will  give 
this  observation  in  detail  out  of  my  note-book. 

At  11. 4o.  The  friend  is  quite  at  home  with  the 
rest ;  the  stranger  is  being  dragged  about. 

At  12.  The  friend  is  all  right.  Three  ants  now 
have  hold  of  the  stranger  by  her  legs  and  an  antenna. 

At  12.15,  12.30,  12.45,  and  at  1  the  stranger  was 
thus  held  a  prisoner. 

At  1.30  one  now  took  hold  of  the  friend,  but  soon 
seemed  to  find  out  her  mistake,  and  left  go  again. 

At  1.45.  The  friend  is  all  right.  The  stranger  is 
being  attacked.  The  friend  also  has  been  almost 
cleaned,  while  on  the  stranger  the  colour  has  been 
scarcely  touched. 

At  2.15.  Two  ants  are  licking  the  friend,  while 
another  pair  are  holding  the  stranger  by  her  legs. 

At  2.30.  The  friend  is  now  almost  clean ;  so  that 
I  could  only  just  perceive  any  colour.  The  stranger, 
on  the  contrary,  is  almost  as  much  coloured  as  ever. 
She  is  now  near  the  door,  and,  I  think,  would  have 
come  out,  but  two  ants  met  and  seized  her. 

At  3.  Two  ants  are  attacking  the  stranger.  The 
friend  was  no  longer  distinguishable  from  the  rest. 

At  3.30,  3.40,  and  5  the  stranger  was  still  held  a 
jirisoner. 

At  6.0.  The  stranger  now  escaped  from  the  nest, 
tnd  I  put  her  back  among  her  own  friends. 

Deceihber  11. — At  10  a.m.  I  again  put  in  a  friend 


340 


BECOGNITION  OF  FRIENDS  AFTER  A 


and  a  stranger.  The  friend  was  not  attacked,  and  con- 
soited  peaceably  with  the  rest.  I  found  her  again  all 
right  on  the  following  morning.  The  stranger,  on  the 
contrary,  was  soon  attacked  and  expelled. 

December  22. — Repeated  the  same  experiment. 
The  stranger  was  attacked  and  driven  out  of  the  nest. 
The  friend  was  received  quite  amicably. 

December  26. — Ditto.  The  friend  was  received  as 
usual.  I  lost  sight  of  the  stranger,  who  probably  escaped. 

December  31. — Ditto.  The  stranger,  after  being 
dragged  about  some  time  in  the  nest,  made  her 
escape.  But  even  outside,  having  met  with  an  ant 
accidentally,  she  was  viciously  attacked. 

January  15,  1877. — Ditto. 

January  16. — I  put  in  two  friends;  but  thinking 
the  preceding  experiments  sufficient,  I  did  not  on  this 
occasion  add  a  stranger.  Neither  of  the  friends  was 
attacked. 

January  19. — Put  in  two  friends  at  11  a.m. 
Neither  was  attacked,  and  the  following  morning  thej 
were  all  right  amongst  the  rest. 

January  22. — Put  in  three  friends  with  the  same 
result. 

January  24. — Put  in  two  friends  with  the  same 
result. 

January  26. — Put  in  three  friends  with  the  same 
result. 

February  11. — I  put  in  two  friends  from  the  other 
division  at  10  a.m.  I  looked  at  10.15,  10.30,  11, 
11.30,  12,  2,  4,  and  6  p.m.  They  were  on  every  occa- 
sion quite  at  home  amongst  the  others. 

February  12, — Put  in  three  from  the  other  division 
at  12.  They  were  quite  at  home.  I  looked  at  them 
at  12.30,  1,  2,  4,  and  6.  Only  for  a  minute  or  two  at 
first  one  appeared  to  be  threatened. 

Febrvxiry  13. — Put  in  one  friend  from  the  other 
division.     The  ant  was  put  in  at  9.15  a.m.,  and  visited 


SEPARATION  OF  MORE  THAN  A  YEAR. 


341 


at  9.30,  10,  11, 12,  and  1.     She  was  evidently  quite  at 
home. 

February  15. — Ditto.  The  ant  was  put  in  at  10.15 
A.M.,  and  visited  at  10.30,  11,  12,  1,  2,  3,  and  4.  She 
was  not  attacked. 

February  19. — Ditto,  The  ant  was  put  in  at  10 
A.M.,  and  visited  at  10.15,  10.30,  11,  12,  1,  and  2. 
She  was  not  atbicked. 

March  11. — Ditto.  Ditto  at  9.30  a.m.,  visited  at 
10.30,  12.30,  2.30,  and  5.30.     She  was  not  attacked. 

March  12. — Ditto,  Ditto  at  10  a.m.,  visited  at  12, 
2,  and  4.     She  was  not  attacked. 

March  18. — Put  in  two  friends  at  1  p.m.,  visited  at 
2  and  4.     She  was  not  attacked, 

April  21. — Put  in  one  friend  at  9.30  a.m.  At  10 
she  was  all  right,  also  at  12  and  4  P.M.  She  was  not 
attacked. 

April  22. — Put  in  two  friends  at  8.30  a.m.  Visited 
them  at  9  and  10,  when  they  were  almost  cleaned. 
After  that  I  could  not  find  them  ;  but  I  looked  at  2,  4, 
and  6,  and  must  have  seen  if  they  were  being  attacked. 

April  23.— Put  in  two  friends  at  12.32.  Visited 
them  at  1,2,  3,  4,  and  6  p.m.     They  were  not  attacked. 

May  13. — Put  in  two  friends  and  a  stranger  at  7.45. 
At  9  the  two  friends  were  with  the  rest.  The  stranger 
was  in  a  corner  by  herself.  11  ditto,  12  ditto.  At  1 
the  friends  were  all  right ;  the  stranger  was  being 
attacked.  2,  the  friends  al)  right ;  the  stranger  had 
been  dragged  out  of  the  nest.  The  next  moniing  1 
looked  again  ;  the  two  friends  were  all  right. 

May  14. — Put  in  the  remaining  three  friends  at  10. 
Visited  them  at  11,  12,  1,  2,  4,  and  6.  They  were  not 
attacked,  and  seemed  quite  at  home. 

This  completed  the  experiment,  which  had  lasted 
from  August  4,  1875,  till  May  14,  1877,  when  the  last 
ones  were  restored  to  their  friends.  In  no  case  was  a 
friend  attacked. 


•  -;-!>-*i/    ai.-;    •t.'—aJ  >jf^-- 


Jufaaai 


342 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  AFTER  A 


The  difference  of  behaviour  to  friends  and  strangerg 
was  therefore  most  marked. 

The  friends  were  gradually  licked  clean,  and  except 
for  a  few  moments,  and  that  probably  by  mistake, 
never  attacked.  The  strangers,  on  the  contrary,  were 
not  cleaned,  were  at  once  seized,  were  dragged  about 
for  hours  with  only  a  few  minutes'  interval,  by  one,  two, 
or  three  assailants. 

Though  the  above  experiment  seemed  to  me  con- 
clusive, I  thought  it  would  be  well  to  repeat  it  with 
another  nest. 

I  therefore  separated  a  nest  of  Formica  fusca  into 
two  i)ortions  on  October  20,  1876. 

On  February  25,  1877,  at  8  A.M.  I  put  an  ant  from 
the  smaller  lot  back  among  her  old  companions.  At 
8.30  she  was  quite  comfortably  established  among  them. 
At  9  ditto,  at  12  ditto,  and  at  4  ditto. 

June  8.— I  put  two  specimens  from  the  smaller  lot 
back  as  before  among  their  old  friends.  At  1  they  were 
all  right  and  among  the  others.  At  2  ditto.  After  this 
I  could  not  distinguish  them  amongst  the  rest;  but  they 
were  certainly  not  attacked. 

Jitne  9.— Put  in  two  more  at  the  same  hour.  Uj) 
to  3  in  the  afternoon  they  were  neither  of  them  attacked. 
On  the  contrary,  two  strangers  from  different  nests, 
which  I  introduced  at  the  same  time,  were  both  very 
6oon  attacked. 

July  14.— I  put  in  two  more  of  the  friends  at  10.15. 
In  a  few  minutes  they  joined  the  others,  and  seemed 
quite  at  home.     At  11   they  were  among  the  others 
At  12  ditto,  and  at  1  ditto. 

July  21.— At  10.15  I  put  in  two  more  of  the 
old  friends.  At  10.30  I  looked  ;  neither  was  being 
attacked.  At  11  ditto,  12  ditto,  2  ditto,  4  ditto,  and 
6  ditto. 

October  7,— At  9.30  I  put  in  two,  and  watched 
them  carefully  till  1.     They  joined  the  other  ants  and 


SEPARATION   OF  MORE  THAN  A  YEAR. 


343 


were  not  attacked.  I  also  put  in  a  stranger  from 
another  nest.  Her  behaviour  was  quite  different. 
She  kept  away  from  the  rest,  running  off  at  once  in 
evident  fear,  and  kept  wandering  about,  seeking  to 
escape.  At  10.30  she  got  out;  I  put  her  back,  but 
she  soon  escaped  again.  I  then  put  in  another 
stranger.  She  was  almost  immediately  attacked.  In 
the  meantime  the  old  friends  were  gradually  cleaned. 
At  1.30  they  could  scarcely  be  distinguished;  they 
seemed  quite  at  home,  while  the  stranger  was  being 
dragged  nbout.  After  2  I  could  no  longer  distinguish 
them.  They  were,  however,  certainly  not  attacked. 
The  stranger,  on  the  contrary,  was  killed  and  brought 
out  of  the  nest. 

This  case,  therefore,  entirely  confirmed  the  pre- 
ceding, in  which  strangers  were  always  attacked;  friends 
were  in  mo  t  cases  amicably  received,  even  after  more 
than  a  year  of  separation.  But  while  the  strangers 
were  invariably  attacked  and  expelled,  the  friends  were 
not  always  recognised,  at  least  at  first.  It  seemed  as  if 
some  of  the  ants  had  forgotten  them,  or  perhaps  the 
young  ones  did  not  recognise  them.  Even,  however, 
when  the  friends  were  at  first  attacked,  the  aggressors 
soon  seemed  to  discover  their  mistake,  and  friends  were 
never  ultimately  driven  out  of  the  nest.  This  recogni- 
tion of  old  friends  after  a  separation  of  more  than  a 
year  seems  to  me  very  remarkaljle. 

The  details  are,  I  fenr,  tedious,  but  I  have  thought 
them  worth  giving,  because  a  mere  general  statement, 
without  particulars,  would  not  give  ^o  clear  an  idea  of 
the  result. 


344 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


APPENDIX  C. 

The   followinof  are  the  details  of  the  observation   re- 
Curded  on  p.  161 :  — 

At  9.45  I  put  an  ant  (Nl)  to  a  raisin. 
At  9.50  she  went  to  the  nest. 
9.55  I  put  another  (N2)  to  the  raisin. 
10.0  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.  0  Nl  came  back. 

10.2  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.  7  Nl  came  back. 

10.9  she  went  to  the  nest. 

10.11  N2  came  back. 

10.13  she  went  to  the  nest. 

10.12  Nl  came  back. 

10.14  she  went  to  the  nest. 

10.13  put  another  (N 3)  to  the  raisin. 

10.18  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.16  Nl  came  back. 

10.17  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.22  N2  came  back. 

10.24  she  went  to  the  nest. 

(I  here  oveqjainted  N2,  and  she  returned  no  more.) 

At  10.24  Nl  came  back. 

10.26  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.30  Nl  came  back. 

10.32  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.33  N3  came  back. 

10.35  she  went  to  the  nest. 


P'A-  >«l^^»tB■al 


POWER   OF   COIVIMUNICATION. 


345 


At  10.35  Nl  came  back.  (She  met  with  an  acci- 
dent. At  first  she  seemed  a  good  deal  hurt,  but 
gradually  recovered.) 

At  10.40  N3  came  back. 

10.46  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.46  a  stranger  came  ;  I  bottled  her. 
10.47 
10.52  Nl  came  back. 

10.54  she  went  to  the  nest. 
10.57  N3  came  back. 

1 1 .2  she  went  to  the  nest. 
11.  8  N3  came  back. 

11.13  she  went  to  the  nest. 
11.10    a    stranger  came;   I  removed  her  to  « 
little  distance. 

At  11.11  a  stranger  came  ;  marked  her  N4. 


11.16  N3 

came. 

At  11.18  went. 

11.23  N4 

11.25 

95 

11.24N3 

11.26 

»5 

11.27  N4 

11.29 

55 

11.31  N3 

11.34 

?j 

11.32  N4 

11.35 

55 

11.40  N3 

11.42 

15 

11.40  N4 
11.45  N3 

11.47 

55 
55 

„     a  stranger  came. 

11.48  Nl 

came. 

11.49 

55 

11.49  N4 

11.50 

55 

11.51  Nl 

11.53 

55 

11.53  N3 

11.56 

55 

11.54  N4 

11.56 

15 

12.  0  N3 

12.  2 

55 

„      N4 

„      Nl 

12.  5  N4 

12.  7 

55 

12.  6  N3 

12.  8 

•5 

12.13  N3 

12.15 

9« 

24 


346 


POWER  OF   COMMUNICATION. 


At  12.14  N4 

came. 

12.15  went. 

12.17  a  stran<Ter  came. 

12.19  N4 

came. 

12.20    „ 

12.20  N3 

12.22    „ 

12.21  Nl 

12.25    „ 

12.25  N4 

12.26    „ 

12.27  N3 

12.28    „ 

12.30  N4 

12.32    „ 

„     a  stranj^ercame. 
„     N3  (was  disturbed) 
12.38  N4  came. 


12.42  N3 
12.47  N4 


5J 
5> 


12.37 
12.40 


12.49 


99 


99 


99 


Thus  during  these  thi-ee  hours  only  six  strangers 
cjiine.  The  raisin  must  have  seemed  almost  inexhaust- 
ible, and  the  watched  ants  in  passing  and  repassing 
went  close  to  many  of  their  friends ;  they  took  no 
notice  of  them,  however,  and  did  not  bring  any  out  of 
the  nest  to  co-operate  with  them  in  securing  the  food 
though  their  regular  visits  showed  how  much  they 
appreciated  it. 

Again  (on  July  1^),  an  ant  belonging  to  one  of 
my  nests  of  Formica  f us ca  "was  out  hunting.  At  8.8  I 
put  a  spoonful  of  honey  before  her.  She  fed  till  8.24, 
when  she  returned  to  the  nest.  Several  others  were 
running  about.     She  returned  as  follows  : — 

9.10  to  the  honey,  but  was  disturbed,  ran  away,  and 
returned  at  10.40.         At  10.53  went  back  to  the  nest ; 
11.30  „  11.40         „  „ 

12.5  but  was  disturbed ;  she  ran  away  again ,  but 
1.30  At     1.44  to  the  nest; 


99 

99 
W 
M 


2.  0 

3.  7 
3.34 
4.15 


5> 


99 


99 


» 


2.15 

»> 

3.17 

>» 

3.45 

» 

4.23 

n 

POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


347 


Returned  at  4.52 
5.56 
6.25 
7.13 
7.45 
8.22 
9.18 
10.10 


At 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


5.  3  went  back  to  the  nest. 

6.10  „ 
6.45 

99 

7.18 

99 

8.  0  „ 
8.32 

99 

99 

9.30 

99 

10.20         „ 

99 

During  the  whole  day  she  brought  no  friend,  and 
only  one  other  ant  found  the  honey,  evidently  an  inde- 
pendent discovery. 


.  I 


348 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


APPENDIX  D. 

The  following   are   the   details    referred  to   on    page 
164:— 

September  24,  1875. — I  put  out  two  sets  of  larvae ; 
and  to  one  of  them  I  phiced  two  specimens  of 
Myrmica  iruginodis,  which  I  will  call  1  and  2.  They 
returned  as  follows,  carrying  off  a  larva  on  each 
journey  : — 


No.  1. 

10.23 
10.28 
10.34 
10.40 
10.50 


No.  2. 

10.26 

10.32 

10.37 

10.41  bringing  a  friend. 

10.55 
11.  6 
11.16 


11.40 
11.45 

12.  0 
12.11 


11.44 


11.46  an  ant  came  alone. 


11.56 

12.  6  bringing  a  friend. 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


349 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

12.15 

12.16 

• 

12.17  an  ant  came  alone. 

12.22 

12.22         „ 

12.29 

12.34 

12.36 

12.40 

12.45  an  ant  found  the  second 

12.47 

set  of  larvae. 

12.58    two   ants    found    the 


12.59 

second  set  of  larvae. 

1.  5 

1.  6 

1.  7  an  ant  found  the  second 

1.16 

set  of  larvie. 

1.20 

1.21 

1.26 

1.35 

1.42 

1.47 

1.54 

1.55  with  2  friends. 

1.59 

2.  2 

2.  3    an    ant     found    the 

2.  4 

larva). 

2.  9  with  a  friend. 

2.10 

2.16 

2.18 

2.24 

2.25 

2.25  another  ant  found  the 

2.34 

second  set  of  larva*- 

3/>0 


POWER   OF   COMMUNlC^Tloa. 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

2.36 

2.41 

2.44 

2.45 

2.50 

2.51 

2.55 

3.  0 

3.   1 

3.  6 

3.10 

3.10 

3.17 

3.18 

• 

3.22 

3.27 

3.28 

3.36 

3.40 

3.47 

3.48 

3.53 

3.55 

3.59 

4.  0 

4.  7 

4.  8 

4.14 

4.16 

4.20 

4.27 

4.31 

4.35 

4.39  with  a  friend. 

4.42 

4.42 

4.47 

4.53 

4.53 

POWER   OF   COMMUNICATION. 


351 


No.  1. 

5.  5 

5.17 
5.25 
5.32 
5.40 
5.46 
5,55 

6.  5 

6.11 
6.20 


No.  2. 

4.58 
'5.  3 

5.  9 
5.17 


6.  8 
6.16 


They  came  no  more  up  to  7.30,  wlien  we  left  oflf 
watcliincr.  The  followinij  moriiiiiij  at  Q.5  I  found  No.  1 
wandering  about,  and  evidently  on  the  lool<-out.  I 
put  her  to  some  larvie  ;  and  shortly  afterwards  No.  2 
also  found  them.     Their  visits  were  as  follows: — 

6.10 
6.21 
6.36 


6.42 


6.44 
6.52 


7.   1 

7.  1 

7.  8 

7.n 

7.12 

7.22 

7.29 

7.35 


7.30  another  ant  found  the 
larvae. 


7.40 


— -;   /v  ■»  ....;.  • 


352 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


No.  1. 

No.  2 

7.49 

7.54 

8.  5 

8.13 

8.25 

8.31 

8.39 

8.44 

8.48 

Thus,  during  this  period  these  two  ants  carried  off 
respectively  62  and  ()7  hirvue  ;  10  strangers  found  the 
larvae,  half  of  them  only  coming  to  the  set  visited  by 
the  ants  under  observation.  This  seems  to  show  that 
most  of  them,  at  any  rate,  found  the  larva?  for  them- 
selves. 

I  will  now  pass  to  Lasius  nirjer. 

September  27,  1875. — At  3.55  p.m.  I  put  an  ant  of 
this  species  to  some  liu'vae.     She  returned  as  follows  :— 


4.  3 
4.11 
4.21 
4.25 
4.28 
4.31 
4.37 
4.40 
4.44 
4.48 
4.52 
4.56 

5.  0 


5.  5 
5.10 
5.14 
5.18 
5.23 
5.29 
5.40 
5.43 
5.46 
5.50 
5.54 
5.59 


when  she  met  with  an  accident.     During  this  time  no 
other  ant  came  to  the  larvae. 

On  October  1,  1875,  at  G.15  a.m.,  I  put  three  apeci- 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION 


353 


mens  of  Lasius  niger  to  some  larvae.     One  did  not 
return  ;  the  other  tw^o  behaved  as  follows  : — 


No.  I  returned  to  the  larvae  at 

6.52 


No.  2  at        Other  ants  came  at 

7.12 


7.22 

7.32 
7.42 

7.50 

8.  0 
8.   1 

8.  6  with  a  friend.      8.  6 

8.  9 
8.10 

8.17 


7.30 
7.42 

7.54 


8.25 

8.32 
8.36 


8.39 
8.44 


8.26 


8.38 
8.41 


7.14  to  lot  2. 


7.45  to  lot  3. 


8.19  to  lot  1 
8.23        „ 


8.37 


>j 


8.45 


Here  I  left  off  watching  for  half  an  hour. 


>» 


9.22 

9.29 
9.35 


9.28 
9.35 


JHIi  [JHIlr  n  ^  ■**-  —  ' -^■'lLf"-^mriiry<rvtfl'Wn   t   ■ 


jfeg-  J-    *'  *.    J-IJ**.  • 


te  -t*    ^.tf"'  w^tf^':*: 


,.^  Jk...-' ''&.■'   -^^ 


'  *V  '*-^'^*^'^'^^''-''^^r'<?^  ^Th-^-^'i 


4 

3.54 


POWER   OF  COMMUNIPATION. 


No.  1  returned  to  the  larvae  at 
9.41 

9.47 
9.50 

9.54  with  ii  friend, 
9.5V 


10.   1 
10.  9 

10.13  witL  a  frieiKl. 
lO.lG 


10.55 

11.  0 

11.  3 
11.  7 


11.16 
11.19 
1 1 .23 

11.27 


11.33 


No.  2  at     Other  ants  came  at 
9.45 

9.52 

Q.58  to  lot  1 

10.  0 

10.11 

lO.lG 
10.25 
lO.oO 
10.36 
10.46 
10.50 

10.58 

11.  2 

11.  8 
11.15 

11.19 

11.25 

11.29  with  a  friend. 
11.30 

11.35 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


355 


No.  1  returned  to  tlie  larvae  at 

11.37 
11.41 

11.45 

11.49 
11.53 

12.   1 
12.  4 

12.  8 

12.11 

12.15 
12.18 


12.21 
12.25 

12.30 
12.35 

12.39 
12.42 

12.45 

12.48 
12.51 

12.54 


12.57 
1.  0  with  friend. 


No.  2  at       Other  ants  came  at 


11.42 


11.48 


11.59 


11.47  to  lot  1, 


12.  9 


12.15 


12.20 


12.14 


» 


12.19        „ 


12.29  with  a  friend. 

12.36 

12.43 
12.47 

12.53 


12.56 


12.57 
1.  0 


99 


3/ifi 


POWER   OF  COMMUNICATION. 


No.  1  returned  to  the  larvae  at 

1.  2 
1.  5 

1.  7 

1.10 

1.13 

1.15 
1.18 
1.21 
1.24 
1.27 

1.30 
1.33 

1.36 
1.39 
1.42 
1.45 

1.48 
1.51 

1.57 

2.  1 
2.  4 

2.17 
2.21 

2.25 
2.29 


No,  2  at    Other  ants  came  nt 


1.  9 


1.14 
1.18 


1.28 

1..30 

1.42 

1.48 
1.53 
1.59 

2.15 

2.22 

2.31 


1.11  to  lot  I. 


1.27 


1.46 


^^:^SE^';'4fe5^a^:S?SS>^^^^Bft.  ■ 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


351 


No.  I  returned  to  the  larvae  at 

2.33 
2.37 

2.40 

2.44 

2.47 

2.50 
2.54 
2.57 
3.  0 

3.  6 

3.  9  with  a  friend. 
.3.12 

3.14 
3.16 
3.20 

3.23 
3.26 
3.30 
3.33 
3  35 
3.37 

3.39 
,3.41 
3.43 

3.46 

3.49 
3.54 

4.  0 


No.  2  at      Other  ants  came  at 

2.39 
2.43 

2.49 


3.  4  with  a  triend. 


3.16 

,3.21 

3.26 
3.30 
3..33 
3.35 

3.38 


3.45 
3.48 


'"^0^r 


35R 


POWER   OF  COMMUNICATION. 


POWER   OF  COMMUNICATION. 


3.09 


No.  I  retnrned  fo  the  larvce  at 

4.  3 

4.  7 
4.12 
4.15 
4.20 
4.2f) 
4.29 
4.31 

4.M 
4..3() 
4.39 

4.42 


4.4o 
4.49 

4.56 

4.59 
5.  2 

5.  7 


No.  2  at      Other  mts  camo  at 
4.  4 


4..32 


4.40 


The  first  ant  retumed  at 
5.10 
0.13 
5.15 
5.18 
5.21 
5.25 
5.28 
6.31 


4.43 
4.44 

4.49 
4.55 

4.58 

5.  2 

5.  6  with   two    friends, 
after  which  she  came  no  more. 


The  first  ant  returned  at 
5.,35 
5.38 
5.41 
5.45 
0.51 
5.54 
6.  0 
6.  4 

6.  7 
6.14 
6.17 
6.20 
6.28 
6.31 
6.48 
6.54 

7.  0 
7.  3 
7.  6 
7.11 
7.U 
7.18 
7.21 
7.24 
7.26 


7.28 

7.31 

7.34 

7.38 

7.41 

7.44 

7.47 

7.51 

7.55 

7.59 

8.  2 

8.  5 

8.12 

8.15 

8.18 

8.20 

8.24 

8.28 

8..32 

8.35 

8.38 

8.42 

8.44  another 

8-45  [ant  came. 

9.44 


We  continued  to  watch  till  10.15,  but  she  came  no 
more.  She  had,  however,  in  the  day  carried  off  to  the 
nest  no  less  than  187  larvae.  She  brought  5  friends 
with  her ;  less  than  20  other  ants  came  to  the  larvae. 

October  3. — I  put  a  Lcisius  niger  to  some  larvae. 
She  retumed  as  follows,  viz : — 


5.33  to  lot  2. 


1.42 
1.48 
1.52 
2.  0 


2.  4 

2.  8 

2.12  with  a  stranger, 

2.15 


fe'«<gaaMaiK',t^,-ib!«>g*;>v*'-j'^'<Wa&.^j.8a«s4i^ 


5^1»-™ 


360 


POWER   OF   COMMUNICATION. 


POWPR  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


3f)l 


2.19 

4.  7 

2.24 

4.10 

2.27 

4.12 

2.32 

4.15 

2.36 

4.18 

2.40 

4.22 

2.44 

4.25 

2.49 

4.29 

2.57 

4..32 

3.   1 

4.35 

3.  4 

4.38 

3.  7 

4.43 

3.10 

4.46 

3.13 

4.49 

3.15 

4.54 

3.18 

4.57 

3.20 

5.  0 

3.23 

5.  3 

3.31 

5.  6 

3.35 

5.10 

3.38 

5.14 

3.41 

5.18 

3.49  with  a  friend. 

5.22 

3.51 

5.26 

3.54 

5.29 

3.57 

She  dr<)i)pe(l  on  the  floor 

4.  1 

of  my  room. 

4.  4 

I  picked  her  up  ;  and  she  returned  at 

6.40  7.  7  with  3  friends. 

6.50  7.11.     She  now  fell  into 
6.54  some  water. 

7.  4 

In  addition  to  the  above  experiments  with  larvx*,  I 
tried  the  following  with  syrup. 


April  19. — I  put  out  a  little  S3rrup  on  eleven  slips  of 
glass,which  I  placed  on  eleven  inverted  flower-pots  on  the 
lawn.  At  8.35  a  Lasius  niger  found  the  honey  on  one 
of  the  flower-pots. 

^•^^^  I '^  w'Tan^^^^^  ^'  5  went  back  to  the  uest. 


9.21 

9.42 

10.12 

10.35 

11.  9 

11.45 

11.57 

12.20 

12.45 

1.  8 

1.34 

1.57 

2.28 

2.49 

2.59 

3.  9 

3.29 

3.59 


?» 

4 

99 
99 


» 
99 


9.30 

9.50 

10.21 

10.46 

11.20 

11.50 

12.  2 

12.30 

12.53 

1.18 

1.43 

2.  7 
2.33 
2.53 

3.  2 
3.11 
3.30 

4.  8 


99 

99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


99 
99 
99 
9? 
9« 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


After  which  I  watched  till  6  P.M. ;  but  she  did  not 
return  a^ain  to  the  honey.  During  the  above  time 
eight  ants  came  to  the  same  honey,  and  twenty-one  to 
the  other  ten  deposits. 

On  July  111  put  one  of  my  specimens  of  Lasius 
niger  to  some  honey  at  7.10.  She  fed  till  7.25,  when 
ihe  returned  to  the  nest. 

At  7.32  she  returned.    At  7.36  another  ant   came, 
7.47  „  7.50  [whom  I  imprisoned. 


8.  0 
8.18 

25 


99 
99 


8.11 


99 


99 


-.«!■,     at-'M-Jijt   ^A,ai^^" 


L.a"'.f«..-."J 


•■?i.'gjAiiafejt 


362 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


At  8.36  she  returned. 

8.59 

99 

9-17 

99 

9.38 

» 

9.53 

» 

10.10 

»> 

10.27 

» 

10.44 

99 

11.  6 

W 

11.16 

>J 

11.38 

W 

12.  0 

W 

12.36 

W 

12.56 

» 

1.21 

» 

1.44 

» 

2.10 

W 

2.21 

J> 

2.29 

W 

2.50 

»> 

3.  5 

99 

At  12.45  another  ant   came, 
[whom  I  imprisoned. 


2.51 


After  this  she  did  not  come  back   any   more   up 

to  8  P.M. 

April  25  was  a  beautiful  day.    At  9  A.M.  I  put  some 
syrup  in  the   same  way  on  five   inverted  flower-pots, 

and  at 

9.10  put  an  ant  to  one  of  the  deposits  of  synip.     At 
9.34  another  ant  came  to  the  same  syrup.     This  one 
I  will  call  No  2.     At 


9.40  No.  1  returned. 
10.45  No.  2 


11.  7  No.  1 
12.31  No.  2 


J5 


)5 


55 


At  11  one  came  to  the  same 
honey;  this  one  I  will  call 
No.  3. 

but  did  not  come  back  anymore 

and  at  12.47  went 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


363 


1.15  No.  3  returned,  and  at  1.25  went. 


1.22  No.  2         „  „  1.48 

1.54  No.  3         „  „  2.  3 

2.18  No.  2  „  „  2.30 
2.35  No.  3  „  „  2.36 
2.56  No.  2  „  .,  3.  1 
3.24  No.  2  returned. 

4.19  No.  2       „ 

After  which  1  went  on  watching  till  7,  but  none  of 
these  three  returned.  During  the  day  7  ants  came  to 
this  honey,  and  27  to  the  other  four  deposits.  Here, 
therefore,  it  is  evident  that  the  three  watched  ants  did 
not  communicate,  at  any  rate,  any  exact  information  to 
their  friends. 

June  27,  1875. — I  placed  four  inverted  glasses 
(tumblers)  on  the  grass,  and  on  the  top  of  each  placed 
a  little  honey.  I  then,  at  8  o'clock,  put  two  ants,  be- 
longing to  F.  nigra,  to  the  honey  on  one  of  the  glasses. 

At  8.25  No.  1  came  back,  and  at  8.45  she  returned 
to  the  nest,  but  did  not  come  to  the  honey  any  more. 

At  9.5  No.  2  came  out  and  wandered  about ;  I  put 
her  to  the  honey  again ;  she  fed  and  at  9.22  returned 
to  the  nest. 


At  9.28 

10.42 
10.58 
11.21 
12.45 
1.40 


she  returned  to  thej^  ..  (went  back  to  the 
honey,  and  at       J    '       1     nest. 


55 
51 
99 
5> 
55 


55 
>5 
55 
55 

55 


10.50 
11.10 
11.39 
12.59 


55 
55 
55 
55 


I  continued  to  watch  till  7  P.M.,  but  neither  of  them 
leturned  any  more. 

August  7,  1875. — I  put  out  four  small  deposits  of 
honey  (which  I  continually  renewed)  on  slips  of  glass 
placed  on  square  pieces  of  wood,  and  put  an  ant  {L, 
niger)  to  one  of  them  at  9.20.  She  fed  and  went  away. 


364 


POWEK  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


At  9.35  she  returned,  and  fed  till  9.43 
10.14  „  ,,  10.17 

10.25  „  „  10.27 

10.37  „  „  10.40 

This  time  a  friend  came  with  her. 

At  10.47  she  returned,  and  fed  till  10.53 


11.  0 

?> 

99 

11.14 

11.35 

» 

99 

11.40 

11.52 

5> 

99 

11.55 

12.13 

95 

99 

12.1G 

1.  0 

5> 

99 

1.  5 

1.15 

95 

99 

1.18 

1.26 

55 

99 

1.29 

1.45 

55 

99 

1.48 

1.58 

55 

95 

2.   1 

2.  9 

99 

59 

2.14 

2.20 

55 

99 

2.21 

She   was   di»- 
[turbed. 

2.25 

99 

55 

2.30 

2.37 

5J 

95 

2.40 

3.  2 

55 

55 

3.  8 

3.16 

95 

55 

3.20 

3.39 

99 

95 

3.41 

3.58 

99 

99 

4.  2 

4.13 

99 

99 

4.20 

4.29 

99 

55 

4.36 

At   this   time   there   was   a   shower  of  rain,  so  I 
removed  the  honey  for  half  an  hour. 

At  5.  2  she  returned,  and  fed  till  5.10 


5.20 

5> 

5.25 

5.33 

99 

5.37 

5.42 

5.45 

5.50 

5.52 

5.58 

6.  6 

6.15 

6.18 

6.21 

6.23 

POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


365 


At  6.25  she  returned,  and  fed  till  6.27 


6.32 

6.35 

6.40 

6.44 

6.49 

6.53 

7.15 

7.20 

7.25 

7.27 

7.30 

7.33 

7.36 

7.37 

During  the  whole  of  this  time  only  three  other  antu 
came  to  the  honey. 

On  January  3,  1875,  I  placed  some  larvae  in  three 
small  porcelain  saucers  in  a  box  7  inches  square  attached 
to  one  of  my  frame-nests  of  Lasius  flaviis  (PL  I. 
Fig.  2).  The  saucers  were  in  a  row  6  inches  from  the  en- 
trance to  the  frame,  and  \^  inch  apart  from  one  another. 

At  1.10  an  ant  came  to  the  larvae  in  the  cup  which 

I  will  call  No.  1,  took  a  larva,  and  returned 

to  the  nest. 
1 .24  she  returned  and  took  another. 
1.4  J  „  „ 

2.10  she  went  to  the  further  saucer,  No.  3.     1 

t4jok  her  up  and  put  her  to  No.  1.     She 

took  a  larva  and  returned. 
2.24  she  returned  to  cup  No.  3.     As  there  were 

only  two  larvae  in  this  cup,  I  left  her  alone. 

She  took  one  and  returned. 
2.31    she  returned  to  cup  No.  3  and  took  the 

last  larva. 
2.40  she  came  back  to  cup  No.  3  and  searched 

diligently,  went  away  and  wandered  about 

for  two  minutes,  then  returned  for  another 

look,  and  at  length  at  2.50  went  to  cup 

No.  1  and  took  a  larva. 
3.  0  came  to  cup  1  and  took  a  larva. 
3.  7 


» 


366 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION 


3.15 
3.18 
3.30 
3.43 
5.53 


4.  3 

4.15 
4.22 

4.38 

5.  0 

5.19 
5.50 

6.20 


came  to   cup    1    and    took   a   larva,   first, 

however,  going  and  examining  cup  3  again. 

came  to  cup  3,  then   went  to  cup  2  and 

took  a  larva. 

came  to  cup  3,  then   went  to  cup  2  aiiJ 

took  a  larva. 

came  to  cup  3,  then  went  to  cup  2  and 

took  a  larva. 

came  to  cup  3,  but  did  not  climb  up  it, 

then  went  to  cup  2  and  took  a  larva,  which 

she    either    dropped    or    handed    over   to 

another  ant ;  for  without  returning  to  the 

nest,  at  3.55  she  returned  to  the  empty 

cup,  and  then  to  cup  2,  where  she  took 

the  last  larva,  so  that  two  cups  are  now 

empty. 

she  came  to  cup  3,  then  to  cup  2,  and 

lastly  to  cup  1,  when  she  took  a  larva. 

came  to  cup  1  and  took  a  larva. 


5> 


?» 


9> 


?5 


came  to  cup  3,  then  to  cup  2,  and  lastly  to 
cup  1,  when  she  took  a  larva, 
came  to  cup  1  and  took  a  larva. 

2,  and  then  to  cup  1  and  took 
a  larva. 

1  and  took  the  last  larva. 


99 


99 


I  now  put  about  80  larvae  into  cup  3. 

It  is  remarkable  that  during  all  this  time  she  never 
came  straight  to  the  cups,  but  took  a  roundabout  and 
apparently  irresolute  course. 

At  7.4  she  came  to  cup  1  and  then  to  cup  3,  and 
then  home.  There  were  at  least  a  dozen  ants  exploring 
in  the  box ;  but  she  did  not  send  any  of  them  to  the 
larvse. 

At  7.30  she  returned  to  cup  3  and  took  a  larva. 


POWLR  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


367 


ji 


5> 


9' 


J5 


55 


55 


55 


I  now  left  off  watching  for  an  hour.     On  my  return 
at  8.30  she  was  just  carrying  ofif  a  larva. 

8.40  she  came  back  to  cup  3  and  took  a  larva. 
8.55  she  came  to  cup  l,then  to  cup  3  and  took  a  larva. 
9.12  „  „ 

9.30  „  3 

9.52  99  55 

10.14  „  1 

10.26  she  went  and  examined  cup  2,  then  to  cup  3 
and  took  a  larva. 
At  10.45  she  came  to  cup  3,  and  I  went  to  bed. 
At  7  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  larvae  were  all 
removed.  In  watching  this  ant  I  was  much  struck  by 
the  difficulty  she  seemed  to  experience  in  finding  her 
way.  She  wandered  about  at  times  most  irresolutely, 
and,  instead  of  coming  straight  across  from  the  door  of 
the  frame  to  the  cups,  kept  along  the  side  of  the  box; 
so  that  in  coming  to  cup  3  she  went  twice  as  far  as  she 
need  have  done.  Again,  it  is  remarkable  that  she 
should  have  kept  on  visiting  the  empty  cups  time  after 
time.  I  watched  for  this  ant  carefully  on  the  following 
day  ;  but  she  did  not  come  out  at  all. 

During  the  time  she  was  under  observation,  from  1 
till  10.45,  though  there  were  always  ants  roaming  about, 
few  climbed  up  the  walls  of  the  cup.  Five  found  their 
way  into  the  (empty)  cup  1,  and  one  only  to  cu])  3.  It 
is  clear,  therefore,  that  the  ant  under  observation  did 
not  comnmni(!ate  her  discovery  of  larvae  to  her  friends. 
The  following  d'ly  I  watched  again,  having,  at  7 
A.M.,  put.  larvc-e  into  one  of  the  porcelain  cups  arranged 
as  before.     No  ants  found  them  for  several  hours. 


At  11.37  one  came  and  took  a  larva. 
11.50  she  returned  and  took  a  larva. 


55 


55 


55 


55 


11.59 
12.  9 
12.16 


55 
'5 
J> 


55 
55 
59 


368 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


At  12.21  she  returned  and  took  a  larva. 
„  12.26 


J) 

12.32 

55 

12.37 

» 

12.41 

5> 

12.45 

>» 

12.50 

» 

12.57 

>» 

1.  5 

» 

1.11 

J» 

1.21 

» 

1.35 

J> 

1.40 

>» 

1.44 

9? 

1.52 

5? 

1.56 

59 

2.  2 

55 

2.10 

95 

2.17 

55 

2.24 

55 

2.30 

55 

2.36 

55 

2.43 

55 

2.48 

55 

2.54 

5« 

2.59 

55 

3.  3 

55 

3.10 

55 

3.14 

55 

3.19 

55 

3.34 

55 

3.39 

55 

3.47 

>5 

3.56 

55 

4.  7 

55 

4.13 

ft 

4.20 

55 
5> 

» 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
W 
» 
55 
W 
55 
55 
55 
55 
» 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
W 
55 
55 
55 
5> 
95 
99 
55 
55 
55 
99 


55 
5> 

5> 
» 
55 
55 
99 
»9 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


CO-OPERATION. 


369 


At  4.28  she  returned  and  took  a  lar/a. 


^.t/«/ 

55 

59 

4.44 

55 

99 

4.50 

55 

99 

4.55 

55 

99 

5.   1 

55 

99 

5.  7 

55 

99 

5.17 

55 

99 

5.23 

55 

99 

5.28 

95 

99 

5.40 

55 

99 

5.45 

55 

99 

5.59 

55 

99 

6.  9 

55 

99 

6.13 

95 

99 

G.:^5 

55 

99 

6.40 

55 

99 

6.46 

59 

99 

6.51 

55 

99 

6.58 
7.  2 

55 

99 

95 

59 

7.  8 

55 

99 

7.12 

55 

99 

7.16 
7.21 

95 

99 

55 

99 

7.26 

59 

99 

7.39 

95 

99 

7.44 

55 

99 

7.53 

55 

99 

7.57 

55 

99 

8.  3 

55 

99 

8.  8 

55 

99 

8.13 

99 

99 

8.20 

99 

99 

8.26 

55 

99 

8.31 

99 

99 

95 

8.38 

55 

99 

370 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  CO-OPERATION. 


At   8.45  she  returned  and  took  a  larva. 


jj           U.UV7 

» 

99 

„     8.55 

w 

99 

„     9.  2 

n 

99 

„     9.11 

99 

•9 

„     9.19 

» 

99 

„     9.25 

99 

99 

„     9.33 

5> 

99 

„     9.40 

» 

99 

„     9.46 

JJ 

99 

„     9.52 

» 

99 

„  10.32 

5> 

99 

„  10..39 

»> 

99 

„  10.49 

99 

99 

„  10.54 

99 

99 

„  11.  1 

99 

99 

At  this  time  I  wen^  to  bed.  There  were  still  about 
twenty-five  larvae  in  the  cup,  which  had  all  been 
removed  when  I  looked  at  6.15  the  next  morning 
During  the  whole  time  she  was  under  observation,  only 
two  other  ants  found  their  way  to  the  cup,  though 
there  were  some  wandering  about  in  the  box  all  day. 
Towards  evening,  however,  they  went  into  the  nest,  and 
for  some  hours  my  ant  was  the  only  one  out.  It  will 
be  observed  that  she  returned  at  shorter  intervals  than 
the  previous  ones.  This  was  partly  because  she  had  a 
shorter  distance  to  go,  and  partly  because  she  was  not 
bewildered  by  three  cups,  like  the  preceding.  I  had 
placed  a  bit  of  wood  to  facilitate  her  ascent  into  the 
cup.  This  she  made  use  of,  but  instead  of  going  the 
shortest  way  to  the  cup,  she  followed  the  side  of  the 
box,  partly,  perhaps,  because  the  floor  was  covered  with 
a  plate  of  porcelain.  This,  however,  would  not  account 
for  the  fiict  that  at  first  she  invariably  went  beyond  the 
cup,  and  even  past  the  second  cup ;  gradually,  however, 
this  circuit  became  smaller  and  smaller;   but  to  the 


afii»iA.-iS8ajaMhfaiaiairi8j»-M»l«,ija!  .^iL-iit:*.  aTfeaA^tHJAa'^''  !i>jf.J.    .a  j 


EXPERIMENTS   ON   CO-X)PERaTION. 


371 


last  she  went  round  the  outside  of  cup  1,  instead  of 
going  straight  to  the  spot  where  I  had  placed  the  bit 
of  wood. 

On   January  9  again   I  watched  her  under    simi 
lar   circumstances.      From  9.35  to  1.40  she  made  55 
journeys  to  and  fro,  carrying  off'  a  larva  each  time ;  but 
during  this  period  only  one  other  ant  found  the  larvjie. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  I  watched  the 
ant  which  had  been  under  observation  on  the  3rd  Jan. 
From  3.27  to  9.30  she  made  forty-two  visits,  during 
which  time  only  four  other  ants  came  to  the  larvae. 

On  January  10  I  watched  the  same  ant  as  on  the 
4th.  Between  11  a.m.  and  10  r.M.  she  made  no  less 
than  ninety-two  visits ;  and  during  the  whole  time  only 
one  strange  ant  came  to  the  larvae. 

On  January  18  1  put  out  some  more  larvae  in  the 
small  porcelain  cups.  Between  8  and  9  both  these  ants 
found  them,  and  kept  on  coming  all  day  up  to  7  P.M., 
when  I  left  off"  observing.  There  were  a  good  many 
ants  wandering  about  in  the  box;  but  up  to  4  o'clock 
only  four  came  to  the  larva?.  Two  of  them  I  impri- 
soned as  usual ;  but  two  (which  came  at  4.30  and  4.36) 
I  marked.  These  went  on  working  quietly  with  the 
first  two  till  I  left  off"  observing  at  7  p.m.  ;  and  during 
this  latter  time  only  three  other  ants  found  the  larvae. 

On  January  31  I  watched  another  specimen.  At 
9.14  I  put  her  into  a  small  cup  containing  a  number  of 
larvae.  She  worked  continuously  till  half-past  seven  in 
the  evening,  when  I  left  off  watching.  During  that 
time  she  had  made  more  than  ninety  journeys,  carrying 
each  time  a  larva  to  the  nest.  Durintj  the  whole  time 
not  a  single  other  ant  came  to  the  larvae. 

Again,  on  February  7,  I  watched  two  ants  in  the 
same  manner.  At  7  a.m.  I  put  some  larvae  in  the  small 
china  cups.  Up  to  8  no  ants  had  come  to  them.  Soon 
after  8  I  put  two  marked  ants,  neither  of  them  being 
the  same  as  these  whose  movements  are  above  recorded. 


?^t'..Ja.Me4^aagafc!ifc-i 


372 


EXPERIMENTS  ON   CO-OPERATION. 


EXPERIMENTS   ON   CO-OPERATION. 


373 


They  were  then  watched  until  a  quarter  to  eight  in  the 
evening,  during  which  time  one  of  them  had  made 
twenty-six  journeys,  carrying  off'  a  larva  each  time  ;  the 
other  forty- two.  During  this  period  of  about  eleven 
hours,  two  other  ant  s  had  come  to  the  cup  at  which 
these  were  working,  and  the  same  number  to  one  of  the 
other  cups. 

None  of  these  ants,  therefore,  though  they  had  found 
a  large  number  of  larvae,  more  than  they  could  carry  in  a 
whole  day,  summoned  any  other  to  their  assistance. 

Again,  P'ebruary  7,  1 875,  I  put  some  larvae  in  three 
porcelain  cups  in  the  feeding-box  of  a  frame  containing 
a  nest  of  L^Jsius  flavus,  about  six  inches  from  the 
entrance  of  the  frame,  and  put,  at  8  and  8.29  A.M. 
respectively  two  ants  to  the  larvae  in  the  left-hand 
cup.  They  <?ach  carried  off"  a  larva  and  returned  as 
follows : — 


No.  1. 

At  8.35 
9.  0 


9.30 
9.54 

1 0,25 


No.  2. 

—  returned  agnin   and   took  another. 


9.  7 
9.20 

9.43 

9.56 
10.20 


99 

99 
99 

99 


5» 

»9 
59 
99 
99 
99 
9» 


A^   10.43  another  ant  came  to    the    larvae   in    th€ 
rii^lit-^b'-jnd  cup.     I  imprisoned  her. 

At  11.  0  returned  again  and  took  another. 


U.  1 

99 

»^ 

11.  9 

99 

j> 

11.15 

99 

»9 

11.20 

9» 

99 

11.29 

n 

99 

*• 


At   11.37  —     returned  again  and  took  another. 

At  12.2  another  ant  came  to  the  larvae  in  the  left- 
band  cup.     I  imprisoned  her. 

At  1 2.  3  —  returned  again  and  took  another 
12.15 
12.30 
12.37  — 
12.41 
12.50 
12.58 

1.  U  — 

1.  7 
1.12           — 

'    1.16 

1.28 
1.32  — 

1.35 

1.44 
1.50  — 

1.55 

2.  6 

2.  9  — 

2.17 

2.29 
2.39  — 

2.42 
2.49  2.49 

3.  0  — 

3.  3 

At  3.10  another  ant  came  to  the  left-hand  cup.     I 
imprisoned  her. 

At  3.14  returned  again  and  took  another. 

3.15  — 

3.24 


?' 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

95 

55 

55 

55 

55 

59 

55 

99 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

59 

59 
9^ 


99 


■  '*lh  B»X/*  TmfHutm  I 


374 


EXPE.R1MENTS  ON  CO-OPERATTOfJ. 


At  3.31 
3.36 


—  returned  again  and  took  another. 
3.34 


5> 


99 
99 


At  4.10  another  ant  came  to  the  middle  cup.     1 
imprisoned  her. 

—  returned  again  and  took  another. 
5.50 


At  4.45 
6.  2 


6.  2 
6.17 
6.26 
6.46 
6.52 

7.  4     — 

7.  7 
7.13 
7.18 

7.48    7.48 


5> 

9? 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 


J? 


After  this  they  were  not  watched  any  more.  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  second  ant  made  many  more  visits 
than  the  first — namely,  forty-two  in  about  eleven  hours, 
as  against  twenty-six  in  eleven  hours  and  a  half. 
During  this  time  two  ants  came  to  the  larvae  in  the 
cup  they  were  visiting,  and  three  to  the  other  two  cups. 

The  following  case  is  still  more  striking.  On  July 
11, 1875, at  11  A.M.,I  imt  a.  Lasiusflavus  to  some  ipuyse 
of  the  same  species,  but  from  a  different  nest.  She  made 
eighty-six  journeys,  each  time  carrying  off  a  pupa  with 
the  following  intervals.     Commencing — 


At  11.  0 

11.5  she  returned. 
11.  9  returned  again. 
11.16  again. 


11.20 
11.24 
J  1.26 


9> 


J» 


» 


At  11.29  agam. 
11.49 
11.55 
12.  0 
12.  5 
12.16 
1 2.30 


51 


>? 


>» 


EXPERIMENTS   ON   CO-OPERATION. 


S7fi 


At  12.40  again 

12.44 

» 

12.50 

59 

1.   1 

55 

1.10 

55 

1.19 

55 

1.27 

55 

1.33 

55 

1.43 

55 

1.49 

55 

1.52 

55 

1.56 

55 

2.  2 

55 

2.10 

55 

2.17 

55 

2.25 

55 

2.29 

55 

2.32 

55 

2.35 

55 

2.37 

55 

2.40 

55 

2.43 

55 

2.47 

55 

2.53 

55 

2.56 

55 

2.59 

55 

3.  2 

55 

3.  7 

55 

3.10 

55 

3.13 

55 

3.16 

5* 

3.20 

55 

3.25 

55 

3.33 

55 

3.35 

55 

3.38 

«9 

At  3.40 

again. 

3.47 

55 

3.53 

59 

3.57 

55 

4.  0 

55 

4.  3 

55 

4.  5 

99 

4.  8 

55 

4.12 

55 

4.15 

59 

4.18 

5* 

4.20 

5* 

4.23 

9* 

4.26 

55 

4.30 

59 

4.33 

5^ 

4.40 

59 

4.43 

55 

4.45 

59 

4.49 

59 

4.53 

55 

4.55 

99 

4.58 

99 

5.  3 

95 

5.  7 

99 

5.12 

59 

5.19 

99 

5.22 

99 

5.25 

99 

5.28 

99 

5.32 

99 

5.35 

99 

5.39 

99 

5.50 

99 

7.  5 

99 

7.12 

99 

374 


EXPERIMENTS  ON   CO-OPERATIOV. 


At  3.31  —  returned  again  and  took  another, 

3.34 
3.36  — 


9» 


At  4.10  another  ant  came  to  the  middle  cup.     1 
iLMprisoned  her. 

—  returned  again  and  took  another. 
5.50 


At  4.45 
6.  2 


6.  2 
6.17 
6.26 
6.46 
6.52 

7.  4  — 

7.  7 
7.13 
7.18 

7.48  7.48 


99 
>t 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


After  this  they  were  not  watched  any  more.  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  second  ant  made  many  more  visits 
than  the  first— namely,  forty-two  in  about  eleven  hours, 
as  against  twenty-six  in  eleven  hours  and  a  half. 
During  this  time  two  ants  came  to  the  larvne  m  the 
cup  they  were  visiting,  and  three  to  the  other  two  cups. 

The  following  case  is  still  more  striking.  On  July 
11, 1875,  at  11  A.M.,  I  imt  a  Lasiu8jlavu8  to  some  Y'n\y<B 
of  the  same  species,  but  from  a  dififercnt  nest.  She  made 
eighty-six  journeys,  each  time  carrying  otf  a  pupa  with 
the  following  intervals.     Commencing— 

At  11.  0 


11.5  she  returned. 
11.9  returned  again. 
11.16  again. 
11.20     „ 
11.24     „ 
J  1.26     „ 


At  11.29  agam. 
11.49 
11.55 
12.  0 
12.  5 
12.16 
1 2.30 


51 


J1 
55 


EXPERIMENTS   ON   OO-OPEUATION. 


At 


37fi 


At  12.40  again.            | 

12.44 

>5 

12.50 

55 

1.   1 

55 

1.10 

55 

1.19 

55 

1.27 

55 

1.33 

55 

1.43 

55 

1.49 

55 

1.52 

55 

1.56 

55 

*>    •> 

Jit      M 

55 

2.10 

55 

2.17 

55 

2.25 

55 

2.29 

55 

2.32 

55 

2.35 

55 

2.37 

55 

2.40 

55 

2.43 

95 

2.47 

55 

2.53 

55 

2.56 

55 

2.59 

55 

3.  2 

55 

3.  7 

55 

3.10 

91 

3.13 

99 

3.16 

5< 

3.20 

95 

3.25 

55 

3.33 

95 

3.35 

55 

3.38 

»> 

3.40  J 

iga] 

3.47 

55 

3.53 

99 

3.57 

99 

4.  0 

99 

4.  3 

99 

4.  5 

55 

4.  8 

55 

4.12 

55 

4.15 

95 

4.18 

5» 

4.20 

5« 

4.23 

5« 

4.26 

55 

4.30 

95 

4.33 

5^ 

4.40 

55 

4.43 

95 

4.45 

55 

4.49 

95 

4.53 

55 

4.55 

95 

4.58 

55 

5.  3 

95 

5.  7 

55 

5.12 

19 

5.19 

5* 

5.22 

59 

5.25 

55 

5.28 

59 

5.32 

59 

5.35 

55 

5.39 

55 

5.50 

9» 

7.  5 

55 

7.12 

99 

x-'^-sniuniit-~jev 


376 


EXPERLMENTS  ON 


After  which  she  did  not  come  again  till  8,  when  wo 
U'ft  off  watching.  During  the  whole  of  this  time  she 
did  not  bring  a  single  ant  to  help  her.  Surely  it  would 
have  been  in  many  respects  desirable  to  do  so.  It  will 
be  seen  that  some  of  the  pupae  remained  lying  about 
and  exposed  to  many  dangers  from  11  a.m.  till  7  I'.M. ; 
and  when  she  left  off  working  at  that  time,  there  were 
still  a  number  of  the  pupre  unsecured;  and  yet,  though 
she  had  taken  so  much  pains  herself,  she  did  not  bring 
or  send  others  to  assist  her  in  her  efforts  or  to  complete 
her  work. 

I  have  given  the  above  cases  at  length,  though  I 
fear  they  may  appear  tedious  and  prolix,  because  they 
Murprised  me  much. 

No  doubt  it  more  frequently  happens  that  if  an  ant 
or  a  bee  discovers  a  store  of  focxl,  others  soon  find  their 
way  to  it,  and  I  have  been  anxious  to  ascertain  in  what 
manner  this  is  effected.  Some  have  regarded  the  fact 
as  a  proof  of  the  power  of  communication ;  others,  on 
the  contrary,  have  denied  that  it  indicated  any  such 
power.  Ants,  they  said,  being  social  animals,  naturally 
accompany  one  another ;  moreover,  seeing  a  companion 
coming  home  time  after  time  with  a  larva,  they  would 
naturally  conclude  that  they  also  would  find  larvae  in 
the  same  spot.  It  seemed  to  me  that  it  would  be  very 
interesting  to  determine  whether  the  ants  in  question 
were  brought  to  the  larvae,  or  whether  they  came 
casually.  I  thought  therefore  that  the  following  experi- 
ment might  throw  some  light  on  the  question,  viz. :  to 
place  several  small  quantities  of  honey  in  similar 
situations,  then  to  bring  an  ant  to  one  of  them,  and 
subsequently  to  register  the  number  of  ants  visiting 
each  of  the  parcels  of  honey,  of  course  imprisoning  for 
the  time  every  ant  which  found  her  way  to  the  honey 
except  the  first.  If,  then,  many  more  came  to  the 
honey  which  had  been  shown  to  the  first  ant  than  to 
the   other  parcels,  this  would  be  in    favour  of  their 


POWFK   OF   COMMUNICATION. 


377 


possessing  the  power  of  communicating  facts  to  one 
another,  though  it  might  be  said  they  came  by  scent. 
Accordingly,  on  July  13,  1874,  at  3  P.M.,  I  took  a  piece 
of  cork  about  8  inches  long  and  4  inches  wide,  and  stuck 
into  it  seventeen  pins,  on  three  of  which  I  put  pieces 
of  card  with  a  little  honey.     Up  to  5.15  no  ant  had 
been  up  any  of  these  pins.     I  then  put  an  ant  {Lasius 
niger)  to  the  honey  on  one  of  the  bits  of  card.     She 
seemed  to  enjoy  it,  and  fed  for  about  five  minutes,  after 
which  she  went  away.     At  5.30  she  returned,  but  went 
up  six  pins  which  had  no  honey  on  them.     I  then  put 
her  on  to  the  card.     In  the  mean  time  twelve  other 
ants  went  up  wrong  pins  and  two  up  to  the  honey  ; 
these  I  imprisor»ed  for  the  afternoon. '   At  5.46  my  first 
ant  went  away.     From  that  time  to  6  o'clock  seven 
ants  came,  but  the  first  did  not  return.    One  of  the  seven 
went  up  a  wrong  pin,  but  seemed  suq^rised,  came  down, 
and  immediately  went  up  to  the  right  one.     The  other 
six  went  straight  up  the  right  pin  to  the  honey.     Up 
to  7  o'clock  twelve  more  ants  went  up  pins— eight 
right,  and  four  wrong.     At  7  two  more  went  wrong. 
Then  my  first  ant  returned,  bringing  three  friends  with 
her  ;  and  they  all  went  straight  to  the  honey.     At  7.11 
she  went  home :  on  her  way  to  the  nest  she  met  and 
accosted  two  ants,  both  of  which  then  came  straight  to 
the  right  pin  and  up  it  to  the  honey.     Up  to  7.20 
seven  more  ants  came  and  climbed  up  pins — six  right, 
and  one  wrong.     At  7.22  my  first  ant  came  back  with 
five  friends ;  at  7.30  she  went  away  again,  returning  at 
7.45  with   no  less  than  twenty  companions.     During 
this  experiment  I  imprisoned  every  ant  that  found  her 
way  up  to  the  honey.     Thus,  while  there  were  seven- 
teen pins,  and  conse^quently  sixteen  chances  to  one,  yet 
between  5.45  and  7.45   twenty-seven  ants  came,  net 
counting  those  which  were  brought  by  the  original  ant ; 
and  out  of  these  twenty-seven,  nineteen  went  straiglit 
up  the  right  pin.     Again,  on  the   15th  July,  at  2.30,  I 


2G 


37« 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


379 


put  out  the  same  piece  of  cork  with  ten  pins,  each  with 
a  piece  of  card  and  one  with  honey.  At  4.40  I  put  an 
ant  to  the  honey  ;  she  fed  comfortably,  and  went  away 
at  4.44. 

At  4.45  she  returned,  and  at  5.  5  went  away  again. 
5.40  ..  „         5.55 


At  7.58  one  ant  came  to  the  right  pin. 


5? 


5> 


6.13 


j9 

55 


55  c».t»t^  ,9 

and  again  at  6.25  and  6.59. 


There  were  a  good  many  other  ants  about,  which,  up  to 
this  time,  went  up  the  pins  indiscriminately. 

At  7.15  an  ant  came  and  went  up  the  right  pin,  and 
another  at  7.18.  At  7.26  the  first  ant  came  back  with 
a  friend,  and  both  went  up  the  right  pin.  At  7.28 
another  came  straight  to  the  honey. 


At  7.30  one 

went  up 

a  wrong  pm. 

„  7.31  one  came  to  the  right  pin. 

„  7.36 

99 

„         with  the  first  ant. 

„  7.39 

99 

99 

„  7.40 

99 

99 

5,  7.41 

99 

99 

„  7.43 

19 

99 

„  7.45 

99 

99 

,5  7.46 

99 

55 

5J 

99 

wrong  pin. 

55 

99 

99 

„  7.47  two 

55 

55 

„  7.48  one 

55 

right  pin. 

„     the 

first  ant 

came  back. 

„  7.49  another  ant 

came  to  the  right  pin. 

„  7.50 

55 

99                 wrong  „ 

„  7.51 

55 

55                  right    „ 

„     three  ants 

wrong  „ 

„  7.52  one 

ant 

right    „ 

99  7.5o     „ 

wrong  „ 

55                 55 

55                  "gl^t    „ 

„  7.57     9, 

„                  wrong  „ 

55 


7.59 


95 


55 


wrong  „ 


55 

55 
55 

19 
55 
55 

95 

95 
55 
95 
55 


55 
55 

55 

55 


99 

59 


Thus  after  7  o'clock  twenty-nine  ants  came ;  and 
though  there  were  ten  pins,  seventeen  of  them  went 
straight  to  the  right  pin. 

On  the  16th  July  I  did  the  same  again.  At  6.25  I 
put  an  ant  to  the  honey ;  at  6.47  she  went. 

At  6.49  an  ant  came  to  the  right  pin. 
6.50  another 
6.55 
6.56 

G,5S 
7.  0 
7.  5  the  first  ant  came  back,  and  remained  at  the 

honey  till  7.11. 
7.  5  another  came  to  the  right  pin  ;  but  she  was 

with  the  first. 
7.  6  another  ant  came  to  the  right  pin. 
7.  6 
7.12 
7.13 


99 

95 
99 

55 

71 


wrong  pin,  and  then  to 

the  right  one. 
right  pin. 


55 


15 
99 
99 


55 
59 
99 


55 
59 
99 


These  two  ants  were  met  by  the  first  one,  which 
crossed  antennae  with  them,  when  they  came  straight 
to  the  honey. 

At  7.14  another  ant  came  straight  to  the  honey. 
7.21  the  first  ant  returned;  at  7.26  she  left. 
7.24  another  ant  came,  but  went  first  to  a  wrong 
pin,  and  then  on  to  the  right  one. 
„    an  ant  came  to  wrong  pin. 


55 
»5 


99 
95 
99 


99 

55 

7.34 
7.35 


99 

55 
55 

55 


55 
99 

59 

59 


7.38  the  first  came  back,  at  7.45  went  away  again. 


-.a,"-- 


miKS«ii¥aejat.i*-\^i!A-~i  hataajtoagjititj 


380 


EXPERIMENTS   ON 


95 


9> 

>9 

9? 


99 
99 
99 


99 

99 


At  7.42  an  ant  went  to  a  wrong  pin. 
7.47         „  „  „ 

7.48 
7.49 

7.52         „  „     the  riglit  pin. 

7.55  the  first  ant  returned,  and  at  7.56  went 
away  again. 

7.57  an  ant  went  to  wrong  pin. 

7.58  „  right     „ 
8.  0              n            wrong  „ 

„   8.  1  „  wrong  „ 

After  this,  for  an  hour  no  more  ants  came.  On  this 
occasion,  therefore,  while  there  were  ten  pins,  out  of 
thirty  ants,  sixteen  came  to  the  right  one,  while  four- 
teen went  to  one  or  other  of  the  nine  wrong  ones. 

July  18. — I  put  out  the  boards  as  before  at  4  o'clock. 
Up  to  4.25  no  ant  came.  I  then  put  one  (No.  1 )  to  the 
honey;  she  fed  for  a   few  minutes,  and    went   away 

at  4.31. 

At  4.35  she  came  back  with  four  friends,  and  went 
nearly  straight  to  the  honey.  At  4.42  she  went  away, 
butcame  back  almost  directly,  fed,  and  went  away  again. 

At  4.57  she  returned,  and  at  5.8  went  away  again. 
4.45  an  ant  came  to  wrong  pin. 

n 

99 

right  pin. 

99  • 

wrong  pin. 

right  pin.  This  ant  (No.  2)  1 
allowed  to  return  tothene8t, 
which  she  did  at  5.23. 

right  pin. 

wrong  pin. 


99 

99 

4.47 

99 

99 

4.49 

W 

99 

4.50 

91 

99 

4.52 

99 

99 

4.55 

99 

99 

4.56 

W 

99 

5.  6 

99 

99 

5.11 

n 

POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


381 


At  5.12 
5.16 


99 


99 
99 


99 


99 

5.19 
5.20 


99 

5.25 


an  ant  came  to  right  pin. 
I  changed  the  pin. 

an  ant  came  to  the  pin  which  I  had  put  in 

the  same  place, 
right  pin. 


99 

two  ants 
ant  No.  1 
an  ant 


99 
99 

99 


5.26  another  ant 
5.35 
5.37 
5.40 
5.41 
5.45 
5.50 
„  5.51 
5.58 
5.59 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


99 


ant  No.  1 
another  ant 


99 

99 
19 
99 

99 
99 
99 
99 

99 
99 


with  No.  2. 
and  went  at  5.25. 
This  ant  had  been 
spoken  to  by  No.  2. 


and  went  at  5.49 


99 


99 


99 


6.49 


„7.  1 
9,  7.20 
7.33 
7.46 


99  99 

ant  No.  1  came  back,  and  5.54  went. 
two  ants  came  to  the  right  pin. 
another  ant         „         „ 

came  to  a  wrong  pin. 
I  changed  the  pin  again, 
an  ant  came  to  the  pin  which  I  had  put  in 

the  same  place, 
another  ant  came  to  the  right  pin. 


99 


99 


>9 


99 


99 


99  99 

ant  No.  1  returned,  7.55  went. 


Thus  during  this  time,  from  4.50  until  7.50,  twenty- 
nine  ants  came,  twenty-six  went  to  the  right  pin,  while 
only  three  went  up  any  of  the  nine  wrong  ones.  ]\lore- 
over,  out  of  these  twenty-six,  only  four  were  distinctly 
brought  by  the  two  ants  which  I  had  shown  the 
honey. 

On  the  19th  I  tried  a   similar   experiment.      The 
marked  ants  frequently  brought  friends  with  them  ;  but, 


:  ■>itvJaw>'B!»f\»awi..vatft>iaiiaMB8wfca-'.«i 


382 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 


witliout  counting  these,  from  3.20  to  8  o'clock,  out  of 
forty-five  ants,  twenty-nine  went  up  the  right  pin,  while 
sixteen  went  up  the  nine  wrong  ones. 
Thus  on 

July  13,  out  of  27  ants,  19  went  right  and  8  wrong. 

15  „     29     „     17  „  12 

16  „     30     „     16  „  U 

18  „     26     „     23  „  3 

19  „     45     „     29  „  16 


19 


Or  adding  them  all  together,  while  there  were  never 
less  than  ten  pins,  out  of  156  ants,  103  came  up  the 
right  pin,  and  only  53  up  the  others. 

I  was  at  first  disposed  to  infer  from  these  facts  that 
the  first  ant  must  have  described  the  route  to  its  friend.^ 
but  subsequent  observations  satisfied  me  that  they 
might  have  found  their  way  by  scent. 


i^MniUtiat-' '  -"•  ^'""aitiidaf  iaiBi.jai»&aaAiA  jmf  j.  :ffr-fjst^ 


POWEB  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


383 


APPENDIX  E. 

The    following  are    the    details    of  the    experiment 
referred  to  in  p.  168  : — 

January  24,  1875.— I  put  an  ant,  which  already 
knew  her  way,  on  the  larvoe  at  3.22. 
At  3.30  she  returned. 


4.15 
4.25 
4.34 

4,42 
4.50 
4.56 


>5 
9> 
» 

55 
>5 


At  3.38  another  ant  came  ;  and 

the    bridge  /  being 

turned    towards    m, 

shewent  over  it  to  7a. 

3.50 

4.35 

5.15 

At  5.  5  she  returned. 

5.14 

5.25 


55 
55 
55 


n 


5J 


January  25.— 6.30  a.m.  put  two  ants,  which  knew 
their  way,  to  the  larvae. 

No.  1.  No.  2. 

Returned   ^*^^ 
7.  7 

Returned  7.11 

7.15 

7  *>7 

7.35 
7.46 


9» 
W 

n 


384 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


385 


No.  1. 
Returned  7.49 


M 


» 


No.  2. 


Returned  7.51 


7.53 


» 

8.  0 

99 

8.  3 

» 

8.  8 

8.17 


8.21 


» 


7.57 


» 


8.18 


8.16  an  ant  to  9lk 


8.22 

99 

99 

8.25 

99 

8.25 

8.27 

9* 

99 

8.29 

99 

8.30 

99 

8.31 

99 

8.34 

99 

8.35 

99 

8.36 

99 

8.40 

99 

8.40 

99 

8.44 

99 

8.46 

8.45 

• 

99 

8.47 

99 

8.51 

99 

8.51 

99 

8.55 

99 

8  5S 

99 

9.  3 

9» 

9.  8 

99 

9.18 

99 

9.24 

99 

9.2" 

. 

99 

9.30 

99 

9.32 

99 

9.34 

No.  1. 

No.  2. 

Returned  9.35 

Returned  9.37 

99 

9.43 

99 

9.43 

99 

9.45 

99 

9.45 

99 

9.47 

)9 

9.50 

99 

9.51 

99 

9.55 

99 

9.55 

99 

9  58 

99 

9.58 

99 

10.  1 

99 

1.10 

9» 

10.  7 

99 

10.  7 

99 

10.10 

99 

10.10 

99 

10.15 

99 

10.16 

99 

10.17 

99 

10.18 

99 

10.20 

99 

10.20 

99 

10.22 

99 

10.22 

99 

10.24 

9J 

10.28 

99 

10.30 

99 

10.32 

99 

10.33 

99 

10.35 

99 

10.35 

99 

10.38 

99 

10.39 

99 

10.42 

99 

10.42 

99 

10.45 

99 

10.46 

99 

10.48 

99 

10.49 

99 

10.51 

9' 

10.51 

9) 

10.53 

99 

10.53 

99 

10.55 

9.44  an  ant  to  m 


laii 


k,*a^*v  au—fOi. nii[iiiiiiii*iiijniiMnninian 


aArii^SAiiBBMrfig 


386 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


387 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

Returned 

10.58  Returned  10.58 

n 

11.  0 

99 

11.    1 

n 

11.  2 

»> 

11.  5 

99 

11.10 

99 

11.12 

11.15  another  an 
to  m 

99 

11.16 

99 

11.21 

99 

11.23 

95 

11.24 

19 

11.26 

9> 

11.26 

99 

11.30 

5> 

11.30 

99 

11.35 

5) 

11.35 

99 

11.36 

99 

11.40 

99 
59 

11.40 
11.43 

11.40       n 
11.42       ^ 

» 

11.45 

59 

11.45 

H 

11.46 

9"' 

99 
5> 

11.50 
11.51 
11.56 

»» 

11.58 

W 

11.59 

»9 

12.  0 

99 

12.  2 

99 

12.  2 

?9 

12.  6 

95 

12.  6 

99 

12.10 

59 

12.10 

99 

12.14 

»9 

12.16 

M 

12.20 

95 

12.20 

12.20       „ 

9* 

12.24 

99 

12.30 
1.  2 

dropped, 
imprisoned  her. 

No.  1. 

Returned  12.31 
12.36 
12.44 
12.46 
12.50 
12.54 
12.59 
1.   1 


No.  2. 
12.35 


an  ant  to  m. 


99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


I  then  put  her  into  a  small  bottle. 

I  let  them  out  again  at  7.10  on  the  27th.  Though 
the  interval  was  so  long,  they  began  at  once  to  work  ; 
but  one  unfortunately  met  with  an  accident.  The  other 
returned  as  follows,  viz.  at 

7.20 
7.30 
7.40 

7.46 
7.51 
7.55 
7.59 

In  these  experiments,  therefore,  17  unmarked  ants 
came ;  but  at  the  i)oint  n  they  all  took  the  wi'ong  turn, 
and  not  one  reached  the  lai'vae. 


7.48  stranger  to  m. 


886 


EXPhJlTMKNTS  OM 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


387 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

Returned 

10.58  Returned  10.58 

)> 

11.  0 

99 

11.    1 

•1 

11.  2 

»> 

11.  5 

»» 

11.10 

» 

11.12 

11.15  anotbei  an 
to  m 

ti 

11.16 

>? 

11.21 

»> 

11.23 

>» 

11.24 

«> 

11.26 

5) 

11.26 

j» 

11.30 

»5 

11.30 

>^ 

11.35 

5J 

11.35 

» 

11.36 

>» 

11.40 

5> 
5> 

11.40 
11.43 

11.40       n 
11.42       „ 

» 

11.45 

» 

11.45 

w 

11.46 

5» 

11.50 
11.51 
11.56 

>t 

11.58 

M 

11.59 

w 

12.  0 

>5 

12.  2 

»> 

12.  2 

?> 

12.  6 

5» 

12.  6 

5> 

12.10 

» 

12.10 

» 

12.14 

W 

12.16 

W 

12.20 

» 

12.20 

12.20       „ 

f* 

12.24 

)> 

12.30 
1.  2 

dropped, 
imprisoned  her. 

No.  1. 

No.  2. 

Return 

led  12.31 

12.35 

an  ant  to  rru 

99 

12.36 

99 

12.44 

99 

12.46 

99 

12.50 

99 

12.54 

99 

12.59 

99 

1.   1 

I  then  put  her  into  a  small  bottle. 

I  let  them  out  agiiin  at  7.10  on  the  27th.  Though 
the  interval  was  so  long,  they  began  at  once  to  work  ; 
but  one  unfortunately  met  with  an  accident.  The  other 
returned  as  follows,  viz.  at 

7.20 
7.30 
7.40 

7.46 
7.51 
7.55 
7.59 

In  these  experiments,  therefore,  17  unmarked  ants 
came  ;  but  at  the  point  n  they  all  took  the  wrong  turn, 
and  not  one  reached  the  larvee. 


7,48  stranger  to  m. 


■•a'ttgiM«S<fe»trig»a 


M». 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 


APPENDIX  F. 

The  following  are  the  details  referred  to  on  p.  168: — 

January  27,  1875.— At  5.30  I  let  out  the  same  two 
ants  as  were  under  observation  in  the  preceding  e^peri- 
nients. 


No  1. 

No.  2. 

urned  at  5.40,  the  other  not  till  6.49 

>5 

6.  0 

»» 

6.  8 

»» 

6.26 

6.22  an  ant  to  m. 

>? 

6.32 

»> 

6.37 

») 

6.41 

» 

6.45 

» 

6.48 

»» 

JJ 

6.49  6.50 

» 

6.51 

6.52 

»> 

6.54 

>5 

»> 

7.  0  6.53  an  ant  to 
larvae. 

>9 

7.  1 

>» 

7.  5 

>1 

*> 

7.  6 

H 

7.  9 

>5 

?♦ 

7.12 

>5 

7.17 

» 

»9 

7.17 

»» 

»? 

7.22  7.2  7  an  ant  torn 

>1 

7.25 

)» 

JJ 

7.28 

» 

7.29 

» 

J> 

7.34 

POWKR  OF 

COMMUNICATION.                     389 

January  28.- 

—Let  them  out  at  6.45. 

No.  1. 

No.  2. 

Baek  at 

7.  0 

7.  3 

>? 

9» 

7.  5 

J9 

7.11 

>/ 

7.12 

99 

7.16 

•9 

7.21 

99 

7.27 

7.31  an  ant  to  m. 

99 

7.32 

99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
» 


7.45 
7.52 
8.  2 
8.11 
8.20 
8.26 
8.30 
8.36 
8.40 
8.44 
8.48 


7.42 

She  dropped  into 
some  water. 


I  then  put  them  into  the  bottle. 


I  then  put  them  into  the  bottle. 
January  29. — I  let  them  out  at  7.35  A.M. 
No.    1    returned  at   7.47,  after  which  T  saw  her  no 
more.     I  fear  she  must  have  met  with  an  accident. 
No.  2  returned  at 

7.56 
H.  8 
8.18 
8.28 
H.35 
8.42 
8.48 


390 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 


8.50  another  ant  came  to  the  larvae; 
marked  her  No.  3. 


8.56 

9.  5 

9.19 

No.  3. 
9.20 

9.26 

9.36 

9.46 

2  ants  to  larvao. 

9.47 

5  ants  to  7ri, 

At  9.40  I  found  one  of  the  ants  which  had  been 
tindfcf  observ.ition  on  the  24th,  and  put  her  to  the 
liirvie      She  returned  as  follows  (No.  4): — 


^o.  2. 

No.  3. 
9.50 

9.55 

No.  4. 
9.52 

^,C^H 

10.  3 

10. 1  u 

10.15 

10.12 

10.20 

10.23 

10.20 

10.26 

10.20 

10.29 

1 0.33 

10.36 

10.37 

10.40 

10.41 

10.41 

10.44 

10.44 

10.48 

. 

10.51 

10.53 


10.56 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


391 


No.  1. 

10.59 
11.  4 


11.  9 


11.17 


11.40 


No.  2. 

10.59 
11.  2 

11.17 
11.  9 
11.13 
11.16 

11.20 


11.23        11.23 

11.26 
11.28 

11.30 
11.33        11.33 


11.47    • 


12.  0 


11.42 

11.46 

11.50 
1 1 .54 

1 1 .58 

12.    1 


No.  3. 

10.57 
11.  2 


11.  5  an  ant  to  laiTae. 


11.  8 


j> 


11.10 


11.14 


11.18 


.0  larvas. 


«9 


95 


11.23 


11.20 
11.21 
11.22  aTj  ant  to  m 

1 1.25  an  ;int  to  larvie. 


11.35 


»» 


99 


11.44 


1 1 .50 
11.54 

11.5 


1 1 .55  ;m  ant  to  m. 


12.  6 


12.  7 


«» 


» 


392 


No.  1. 
12.10 

12,15 
9. 

7 

» 

12.3G 


1.13 
1.22 


1.44 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 

No.  2. 
12.   8 

12.13 

12.18 

12.25 

12.30 
12.3G 

12.40 
12.43 

12.47 
12.50 

12.53 
12.5G 

12.59 

1.  7 
1.12 


1..55 


No.  ». 


12.14 


12.24 


12.39 


12.45 


12.52 


12.57 

1.  0 

1.  7 


1.18 


1.25 
1  ..S3 
1.41 


1.51 

1.56 
2.  9 
2.35 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


393 


I  then  put  her  into  a  small  bottle.  We  kept  a  look- 
out for  Nos.  2  and  3  till  7.30  p.m.  ;  but  they  did  not 
return. 

January  30.— Let  No.  4  out  at  7  a.m.  She 
returned  at  7.45. 

No.  3   came) 

of  herself  at  I  ^-  ^ 

Returning  at  8.   9 


8.20 

8.30 
8.36 


No.  4. 

8.  6 

8.15  another  ant  to  larvae. 

8.25 


No.  3. 
Returning  at  8.40 


99 


8.52 


No.  4. 

8.43 

8.51  an  ant  to  m. 

3.  3 


n 


9    5 

Imprisoned  them. 
Let  them  out  at  10.55. 
Returning  at  11.   1 

11.  3 
11.  8 
,9  11.  9 

1\14  another  ant  to  m. 

And  they  went  on  coming  regularly  till  1,  wheji  I  put 
them  again  into  a  bottle. 

January  31.— Let  them  out  at  6.35  a.m. 

No  3.  No.  4. 

6.55 

7.12 

7.15 
7.21 


27 


1     > 


394 


EXPERIMENTS  ON 


No.  3. 

7.37 

7.42 
7.48 


8.  1 
8.12 

8.20 

8.27 

8.32 


No.  4. 

7.29 
7.42 
7.53 


7.55  another  ant  to  m 
8.  0 


8.18 


8.24 


» 


8.28 


8.36  an  ant  to  larvaR. 


8.39 
8.44 
I  imprisoned  them. 

January  31. — Let  them  out  at  5.35  P.M. 

No.  3.  No.  4. 

5.47 
6.25 
6.35 
6.48 
6.53 
7.  2 
7.  7 
7.11 
7.16 
7.20 

7.23  another  ant  to  larvae 

7.25 

7.26 

7.27 


9> 


POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


395 


No.  3. 

7.30 
Tm  pri:?oned  her 


7.29  another  ant  to  m. 

7.30  „         larvae. 

7.31  „  m. 


F'ebimary  1. — Let  her  out  at  7.5. 

No.  3. 

She  returned  at  7.20 

7.30 


j> 


7.38  another  ant  to  m. 


99 

7.40 

M 

7.48 

»> 

7.58 

7.59 

ft 

>» 

8.  6 

M 

8.12 

8.14 

w 

8.17 

9« 

99 


8.22 


99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
55 


Imprisoned  her  and  let  her  out  again  at  6.20  P.M. 
She  returned  at  6.35 

6.52 

7.  0 

7.  5 

7.15 

7.20 

7.25 
Imprisoned  her. 

Ffibrun.ry  2. — Let  her  out  at  6.30  A.M. 

She  returned  at  6.50 

7.  0 

7.  2  another  ant  to  m. 
7.  7 

7.10  two  other  ants  to  iru 
7.13 


99 


99 


396 


EXPKRIMEN1S   ON 


She  returned  at  7.17 

n  7.28 

7.36 


7.45 
7.50 

7.55 

8.  4 


7.27  another  ant  to  larvae, 


99 


f9 


7.38 


7.51 


8.  6 


m- 


99 


99 


n 


8.11 
8.18 
8.25 
8.30 
8.35 
8.45 
8.46 
Imprisoned  her. 

In  this  experiment,  then,  the  bridge  over  which  the 
marked  ant  passed  to  the  larvaB  was  left  in  its  place, 
the  scent,  however,  being  removed  or  obscured  by  the 
friction  of  my  finger ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  bridge 
had  retained  the  scent,  but  was  so  placed  as  to  lead 
away  from  the  larvae ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that,  under 
these  circumstances,  out  of  41  ants  which  found  their 
way  towards  the  larvae  as  far  as  e,  14  only  passed  over 
the  bridge  /  to  the  larvae,  while  27  went  over  the 
bridge  d  to  the  empty  glass  m. 

Taking  these  observations  as  a  whole,  150  ants 
came  to  the  point  e,  of  which  21  only  went  on  to  the 
larvae,  while  95  went  away  to  the  empty  glass.  These 
experiments,  therefore,  seem  to  show  that  when  an 
ant  has  discovered  a  store  of  food  and  others  flock  to 
it,  they  are  guided  in  some  cases  by  sight,  while  in 
others  they  track  one  another  by  scent. 


POWEK   OF  COMMUNICATION. 


39? 


APrENDIX  G. 


The  following  are  the  details  of  the  experiment  referred 
to  on  p.  172  : — 

Experiment  1. — Time  occupied,  1  hour.  The  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  6  visits  and  brought  no  friends. 
The  one  with  many  larvae  made  7,  and  brought  11 
friends. 

Experiment  2. — Time  occupied,  2  hours.  The  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  13  journeys,  and  brought  8 
friends.  The  one  with  many  larvae  did  not  come 
back. 

Experiment  3. — Time  occupied,  3  hours.  The  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  24  journeys,  and  brought  5 
friends.  The  one  with  many  larvie  made  38  journeys, 
and  brought  22  friends. 

Experiment  4. — Time  occupied,  2^  hours.  The 
ant  with  few  larvae  did  not  come  back.  The  one  with 
many  made  32  journeys,  and  brought  1 9  friends. 

Experiment  5. — Time  ocupied,  1  hour.  I'he  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  10  journeys,  and  brought  3 
friends.  The  other  made  5  journeys  and  brought  16 
friends. 

Experiment  6. — Time  occupied,  IJ  hour.  The  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  15  journeys,  but  brought  no 
friends.  The  other  made  11  j<nirneys  and  brought  21 
friends. 

Experiment  7. — I  now  reversed  the  glasses.  Time 
t>ccupied  3  hours.  The  ant  with  few  larvae  made  23 
journeys  and  brought  4  friends. 


398 


EXPERIMENra  ON 


Experiment  8. — Time  occupied,  1^  hour.  The  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  7  journeys  and  brought  3  friends. 
The  one  with  many  larvae  made  1 9  journeys  and  brought. 
6  friends. 

Experiment  9. — Time  occupied,  I  hour.  The  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  1 1  journeys  and  brought  1  friend. 
The  one  with  many  larvae  made  15  journeys  and 
brought  13  friends. 

Experiment  10. — I  now  reversed  the  glasses,  the 
same  two  ants  being  under  observation  ;  so  that  the  ant 
which  in  the  previous  observation  had  few  larvae,  now 
consequently  had  many,  and  vice  versa.  Tinte  occupied 
2  hours.  The  ant  with  few  larvae  made  21  journeys 
and  brought  1  friend.  The  one  with  many  larvae  made 
32  journeys  and  brought  20  friends.  These  two  experi- 
ments are,  I  think,  very  striking. 

Experiment  11. — Time  occupied,  5  hours.  The 
ant  with  few  larvae  made  19  journeys  and  brought  1 
friend.  The  one  with  many  larvae  made  2(j  journeys 
and  brought  10  friends. 

Experiment\2, — Time  occupied,  3  hours.  The  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  20  joume3's  and  brought  4  friends. 
The  one  with  many  larvae  brought  no  friends  and  made 
17  journeys. 

Experiment  13. — Time  occupied,  1  hour.  Tlie  ant 
with  few  larvae  made  5  journeys  and  brought  no  friends. 
The  one  with  many  made  10  journeys  and  brought  16 
friends. 

Experiment  14. — I  now  reversed  the  glasses.  Time 
occupied,  2^  hours.  The  ant  with  few  larvae  made  10 
journeys  and  brought  2  friends.  The  other  made  41 
journeys  and  brought  3  friends. 

Experiment  15. — Time  occupied,  4^  hours.  The 
ant  with  few  hirvae  made  40  journeys  and  brought  10 
friends.  Of  these,  8  came  at  the  beginning  of  the  ex- 
periment, and  I  much  doubt  whether  they  were  brought; 
diu'ing  the  last  hour  and  a  half  she  only  brought   1 


iMMfe^-J"^.-: 


POWEll  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


31)9 


friend.     However,  I  think  it  fair  to  record  the  observa- 
tion. 

The  ant  with  many  larvae  made  47  journeys  and 

brought  1  friend. 

Experiment  16.— Time,  4^  hours.  The  ant  with 
few  larvae  made  20  journeys  and  brought  1  friend.  She 
did  not  return  after  the  first  2  hours.  The  other  ant 
made  53  journeys  and  only  brought  2  friends.  This 
latter  was  the  same  one  as  in  the  previous  experiment, 
when,  however,  she  had  the  glass  with  only  two  or  three 
larvae. 

Experiment  17. — Time,  1  hour.  The  ant  with  few 
larvae  made  6  journeys  and  brought  no  friend.  The 
one  with  many  larvte  made  11  journeys  and  brought  12 

friends. 

Experiment  18. — Time,  1^  hour.  The  ant  with 
few  larva3  made  25  journeys  and  brought  four  friends. 
The  one  with  many  larvae  made  20  journeys  and  brought 
15  friends. 

Expjeriment  19.— Time,  ^  hours.  The  ant  with 
few  larvae  made  74  journeys  and  brought  no  less  than 
27  friends.  This  is  quite  in  opposition  to  the  other 
observations  ;  and  I  cannot  account  for  it.  She  was 
the  ant  who  brought  15  friends  in  the  previous  experi- 
ment, and  it  certainly  looks  as  if  some  ants  were  more 
influential  than  others.  The  ant  with  many  larvae 
made  71  journeys  and  only  brought  7  friends. 

Experiment  20. — Time,  2  hours.  The  ant  with  few 
larvje  made  35  journeys  and  brought  4  friends.  The 
one  with  many  larvae  made  34  journeys  and  brought  3 

friends. 

Experiment  21. — I  now  transposed  the  two  glasses. 
Time,  1^  hour.  The  ant  with  few  larvae  made  15 
journeys  and  brought  no  friends.  The  other  made  35 
journeys  and  brought  21  friends. 

Experiment  22.— I  now  transposed  the  glasses 
again.     Time,  2  hours.     The  ant  with  many  larva?  made 


400     EXPERIMENTS  ON  POWER  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


EXI'EIUMENTS  ON   CO-OPERATION. 


401 


37  journeys  and  brought  9  friends.  The  ant  with  fe^* 
larvae  made  18  journeys  and  brought  no  friend.  This, 
I  think,  is  a  very  striking  case.  She  was  under  observa- 
tion 5^  hours ;  and  the  scene  of  her  labour  was  the 
same  throughout.  The  first  2  hours  she  had  few  larvae 
and  brought  4  friends  ;  then  for  1^  she  had  many  larvae 
and  brought  21  friends;  then  agiiin  for  2  hours  she 
had  few  larvae  and  brought  no  friend. 

Experiment  23. — Time,  1^  hour.  The  ant  with 
few  larvae  made  2^  journeys  and  brought  3  friends. 
The  other  made  only  9  journeys,  but  brought  10  friends. 

Experiment  24. — I  now  transposed  the  glasses. 
Time  occupied,  2  hours.  The  ant  which  now  had  few 
larvae  made  14  journeys,  but  brought  no  friends.  The 
other  made  37  journeys  and  brought  5  friends. 

Experiment  25. — Time  3  hours.  I  put  an  ant  for  an 
hour  to  a  full  glass  ;  she  made  10  journeys  and  brought 
4  friends.  I  then  left  only  two  or  three  larvae :  in  the 
second  hour  she  made  7  journeys  and  brought  no 
friend.  I  then  again  filled  the  glass  ;  and  during  the 
third  hour  she  made  14  journeys  and  brouglit  3 
friends 


APPE^^)IX  H. 

TnE  following  are  the  detailed  observations  on  bees 
alluded  to  in  Chapter  X. 

August  24. —  I  opened  the  postern  door  at  6.45,  and 
watched  some  marked  bees  till  the  middle  of  the  day. 


6.50 


7.21 

7.26 
7.30 


8.40 

8.45 

10.35 
10.45 
12.35 


Bee  No,  1. 

One  came  to  the  honey.     She  then  flew  to  the 

window,  but  after  buzzing  about  for  some  time 

returned  to  the  hive, 
back  to  honey.  7.23  back  to  hive, 

back  to  honey, 
flew^  to  window  and  then  fell  on  the  floor.     I  was 

afraid  she  would  be  trodden  on,  so  at  7.45  I 

showed  her  the  way  to  the  hive, 
back  to  honey, 
back  to  hive.     I  now  closed  the    postern  dooi 

till  10.15. 
back  to  honey.  10.39  to  hive. 

and  then  to  hive. 

12.37  to  hive  again. 


55 


» 


Bee  Ko,  2. 


7.  0  she  came  to  the  honey,  7.  5  she  went  back  to  hive. 

7.12  back  to  the  honey.  7.22 

7.24  „  7.30 

7.42  „  7.46 

7.52  „  7.57 


55 
>5 
55 
»9 


■  r^^    ^,Stji^  6  "Sfa.  Tetter."! 


i.-tf ,  J^  ^V  faTJ 


402 


COMMUNICATION  AMONG   BEE3. 


8.  5  back  to  the  honey. 

8.15 

8.26 

8.40 

8.55 


95 


8.  9  she  went  back  to  hive, 
8.20 
8.30 
8.44 

9.  0 


>5 
>5 


» 


I  then  closed  the  door  till  10.15  ;  at  9.5,  however, 
she  came  round  to  the  honey  through  an  open  window, 
but  could  not  find  her  way  back,  so  I  had  to  put  her 
into  the  hive. 

10.15  back  to  the  honey. 

10.20 

10.30 

10.50 

11.  1 
11.17 
11.33 
11.45 

12.  0 
12.10 
12.24 
12.37 
12.52 


99 

99 

5> 

99 


10.17  she  ^ 

nventbackiohive 

10.23 

99 

10.33 

99 

10.55 

99 

11.  6 

99 

11.23 

99 

V 

• 

99 

11.50 

99 

12.  3 

99 

12.15 

99 

12.30 
12.43 
12.56 


)5 


95 


99 


Bee  No,  3. 


Also  on  August  24. 

10.16  came  to  honey. 
10.30 


99 


10.55 

99 

11.  2 

9» 

11.11 

99 

11.24 

99 

11.35 

99 

11.45 

99 

11.57 

99 

12.13 

M 

10.19  returned  to  hive. 

iO.34  „ 

10.57 

11.  5 

11.15 

11.27 

11.37 

11.47 

? 
12.16 


95 
99 
55 
95 
99 
55 
99 


COMMUNICATION  AMONG   BEES. 


403 


9? 
99 


12.26  came  to  honey.  12.30  returned  to  hive. 

12.36  „  12.42 

12.56  „  12.59 

The  next  day  I  timed  this  bee  as  follows :  — 

7.23  came  to  honey.  7.25  returned  to  hive. 

7.35  „  7.37 

7.45 

8.12 

8.55 
(Tlie  door  was  then  closed  till  9.30.) 

9.40   to  window,  and  at 


7.44 

8.10 
8.53 


99 
99 
99 
59 


99 

59 
99 

55 


9.35 

10.  0 
10.1.5 
10.22 
1().:55 
10.45 
10.56 

11.  7 
11.18 
11.35 
11.47 

12.  2 
12.25 
12.51 


95 

95 

59 
55 
55 
95 
55 
95 
95 
55 
55 
99 
95 
99 


9.49  to  hive. 
10.  5  returned  to  hive. 
10.15 
10.26 
10.40 
10.48 

• 

11.12 
11.20 
11.37 
11.51 
12.  6 
12.29 
12.54 


55 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
55 


During  these  observations  scarcely  any  unmarked 
bees  came  to  the  honey. 

In  these  cases  the  postern,  being  small  and  on  one 
Bide,  was  not  very  easily  found.  If  the  honey  had 
been  in  an  open  place,  no  doubt  the  sight  of  their  com- 
panions feasting  would  have  attracted  other  bees ; 
but  tlie  honey  was  rather  out  of  sight,  being  behind 
the  hive  entrance,  and  was,  moreover,  only  accessible 
by  the  narrow  and  winding  exit  through  the  little 
postern  door. 

But,  however  exposed  the  honey  miglit  be,  I  found 


infrjaC^^^Sas-^ 


404 


COMMUNICATION   AMONG    BEES. 


similar  results,  unless  the  bees  were  visible  to  their 
fellows.  Of  this  it  may  be  well  to  give  some  detiiiled 
evidence. 

Thus,  one  morning  at 


9.19 

I  brought  a  bee    ] 
to  some  honey.     J 

• 

9.24 

she  returned  to 
the  hive. 

9.55 

she  came  back 
to  the  honey. 

» 

10.  0 

9* 

10.  8 

» 

10.10 

99 

10.16 

» 

10.19 

99 

10.28 

99 

10.30 

n 

10.37 

n 

10.40 

99 

10.50 

99 

10.53 

99 

11.  0 

9» 

11.  4 

• 

99 

11.11 

99 

11.15 

99 

11.22 

99 

11.27 

99 

11.34 

99 

11.37 

99 

11.46 

99 

11.50 

99 

11.55 

9* 

12.  0 

99 

12.  6 

99 

12.  7 

99 

12.40 

99 

12.46 

99 

12.54 

99 

12.57 

99 

1.  2 

99 

1.  4 

99 

Flew  about. 

1.15 

99 

1.18 

99 

1.23 

99 

1.27 

99 

1.34 

99 

1.41 

99 

1.54 

5» 

2.  0 

5? 

After  which  she  did 

not  return.     During 

this  time  no 

other  bee  came  to  the  honey. 

Again  on  another  occasion  I  watched  several  bees, 
which  on  my  list  of  marked  bees  stood  as  Nos.  3,  4,  7, 
8,  10,  and  11. 

9.45  bee  No.  10  came.  9.50  went  back  to  hive, 

10.  0       „        10      „  10.  3 

10.18        „        10      „  10.21 

10.26        „         n       ..  10.30 


»» 


99 
99 
99 


COMMUNICATION'   AMONG   BEES. 


405 


10.30  bee  No. 

4 

came. 

10.35  went  back  to  hive, 

10.36 

55 

7 

55 

10.45 

99 

10.46 

55 

4 

55 

10.52 

99 

10.49 

55 

7 

55 

10.52 

99 

11.  0 

55 

7 

55 

11.  9 

99 

11.  5 

55 

4 

55 

11.  9 

99 

11.11 

55 

7 

55 

11.16 

99 

11.21 

55 

7 

55 

11.29 

99 

1 1 .22 

a  strange  bee  came. 

1 1 .26 

bee  No 

.  4 

came. 

11.31 

99 

11.30 

55 

7 

11.39 

99 

9» 

55 

10 

11.36 

99 

11.40 

55 

4 

11.45 

99 

11.45 

55 

7 

11.50 

5? 

11.47 

55 

10 

11.59 

99 

?) 

another 

Ftrange  bee 

came. 

12.  1 

bee  No 

.  4 

came. 

12.  6 

99 

12.  2 

55 

7 

55 

12.  8 

19 

12.  3 

55 

3 

55 

12.  7 

99 

12.  4 

55 

10 

55 

12.  7 

99 

12.14 

55 

7 

55 

12.18 

99 

12.17 

55 

4 

55 

12.21 

99 

12.24 

55 

7 

55 

12.31 

99 

12.30 

55 

10 

55 

12.33 

99 

12.36 

55 

7 

55 

12.46 

99 

12.37 

55 

4 

55 

12.44 

99 

12.37 

55 

10 

55 

12.40 

99 

12.45 

55 

10 

55 

12.49 

99 

12.50 

5? 

7 

55 

12.54 

99 

12.50 

55 

4 

55 

12.54 

99 

12.53 

55 

10 

55 

12.56 

99 

12.57 

55 

/ 

55 

1.  0 

99 

12.57 

55 

4 

55 

1.  2 

99 

1.  0 

19 

10 

55 

• 

99 

1.  2 

55 

7 

55 

1.  6 

99 

1.  9 

55 

4 

55 

1.12 

99 

1.10 

5) 

8 

» 

1.16 

99 

'  fi'.>M-»v  »fc'*a'''.<»<tfiBljfej«Bi8E?J9aftW*IWa<Ml 


406 


COMMUNICATION   AMONG  BEES. 


1.10  bee  No.  7  came 


1.16 

,          4 

1.17       , 

5 

1.20       , 

7 

1.20       , 

8 

1.21 

4 

1.23 

5 

1.29        , 

,          4 

1.29        , 

7 

1.16  went  back  to  hive. 

1.19 

» 

1.21 

j> 

1.24 

j> 

1.25 

» 

1.24 

>» 

1.27 

» 

After  this  I  ceased  recording  in  detail;  but  the 
above  shows  that  while  the  marked  bees  came  regu- 
larly, only  in  two  cases  did  any  unmarked  bees  come 
to  the  honey. 

In  the  above  cases  the  honey  was  poured  into 
saucers,  but  not  weighed.  In  the  following  I  used  a 
wide-mouthed  jar  containing  rather  more  than  one 
poT-nd  of  honey. 


1.44  bee  No.  5  came. 


1.54 
2.  2 
2.  9 
2.  9 
2.18 
2.19 
2.28 
2.37 
2.32 
2.49 
2.52 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 


O 
5 

5 

1 

5 
1 
1 
1 
5 

0 
1 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
5» 
55 
55 
55 
55 


1.45  went  away. 

1.58 

2.  5 

2.13 

2.15 

2.20 

2.21 

2.31 

2.41 

2.40 

2.51 


55 
55 

55 
55 

>» 

55 

55 
55 
55 
55 


3.10  another  came  which  I  numbered  as  No.  14 

3.11  bee  No.  1  came.        3.13  went  away. 


3.19 
3.20 
3.19 
3.30 
3.31 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 


5 
1 

14 
5 

14 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 


3.22 
3.23 
3.23 
3.32 
3.33 


55 
55 
55 
Yt 


COMMUNICATION  AMONG  BEES. 


407 


3.37  bee  N 

D.  1 

3.38 

5 

3.38 

14 

3.47 

5 

3.46 

14 

3.54 

14 

4.  0 

1 

4.  0 

5 

4.  5 

14 

4.10 

5 

4.15 

14 

4.22 

1 

4.24 

14 

4.26 

5 

came. 


3.40 
3.42 
3.41 
3.49 
3.51 
3.56 
4.  3 
4.  3 
4.11 
4.12 
4.20 
4.25 
4.29 
4.29 


went  away. 


5> 
5J 

55 
55 
55 
55 

» 
W 


}She  was 
disturbed. 


During  the  whole  of  this  time  only  one  strange  bee 
came,  as  recorded  above. 

In  the  following  case  I  put  out,  besides  one  pound 
of  honey,  also  four  ounces  of  honey  spread  over  two 
plates. 


12.15  one  of  my  marked 

bees  came. 
12.26  she  returned 


12.21  she  went. 


12.36 

55 

12.51 

» 

1.  4 

9> 

1.15 

»> 

1.25 

»> 

1.38 

» 

1.49 

99 

2.  0 

99 

2.14 

99 

2.25 

99 

2.38 

99 

2.50 

99 

3.  5 

99 

12.31 

95 

12.44 

55 

12.57 

55 

1.12 
1.19 
1.32 
1.44 

55 
55 
59 
59 

1.55 

55 

2.  7 
2.19 

55 
55 

2.33 

99 

2.44 

2.58 

99 
99 

3.13 

99 

408 


COMMUNICATION  AMONii  BEES. 


3.20 

she  returned 

3.39 

»» 

3.52 

5? 

4.  7 

9J 

4.15 

95 

4.27 

5) 

4.43 

>5 

4.50 

»9 

5.  7 

»5 

5.25 

» 

5.42 

55 

5.56 

55 

6.14 

3.32  she  went.     She  was 
3.45         „        [disturbed. 


4.  0 

55 

4.  9 

*5 

4.20 

55 

4.32 

55 

4.45 

55 

4.59 

55 

5.13 

55 

5.31 

55 

5.48 

55 

6.  1 

» 

During  this  time  no  other  bee  came  to  the  honey. 

I  had,  on  August  20,  introduced  some  bees  to  honey 
in  my  room,  since  which  it  had  been  much  visited  by 
them.  On  the  24th  I  put  a  bee  to  some  honey  inside 
a  flower-pot  five  inches  high  and  five  wide  at  the  base. 
The  flower-pot  was  laid  on  its  side,  and  the  mouth 
closed,  so  that  the  bee  had  to  come  out  through  the 
hole  in  the  bottom,  which  was  about  ^  an  inch  in  dia- 
meter. To  make  things  easier  for  her,  I  made  her  a 
small  alighting-board  of  wood,  the  top  of  which  was 
level  with  the  hole.  I  then  placed  the  flower-pot  on 
the  spot  where  she  was  accustomed  to  find  the  honey. 
She  had  made  her  first  visit  that  morning  at  6.45,  re- 
turning 

At  6.55 
7.  5 
7.14 

7.23.     I   then   arranged   the  flower-pot  as  de- 
scribed, and  put  her,  while  feeding,  into 
it :  she  found  her  way  out  without  diffi- 
culty. 
At  7.40  she  returned,  but  did  not  seem  able  to  find 


COMMUNICATION   AMONG   BEES. 


409 


her  way ;  so  I  put  her  in.     The  same 
thing  happened  again  at 
7.50 

8.  6 
and  8.20 

but  at  8.38  she  found  her  way  in  easily,  and  had  no 

further  difficulty.     She  returned  at 
8.53 

9.  5 
9.14 
9.25 
9.41 
9.55 

10.  6.  This  time  a  friend  came  with  her  and 
followed  her  in.  I  captured  her.  No.  2 
took  no  notice,  but  returned 

At  2.43 


At  10.19 
10.30 
10.44 
10.54 

11.  6 
11.20 
11.31 
11.44 
11.55 

12.  9 
12.25 
12.37 
12.50 

1.  2 
1.14 
1.25 
1.36 
1.47 
1.57 

2.  S 
2.19 
2.31 

28 


2.59 
3.23 
3.33 
3.44 
3.56 
4.  7 
4.21 
4.34 
4.44 
4.55 
5.10 
5.24 
5.35 
5.46 
5.58 

6.  9 
6.20 
6.42 

7.  0 
7.15 

making  59  visits. 


410 


COMMUNICATION  AMONG  BEES. 


After  which  she  came  no  more  that  day.  With  the  one 
exception  above  mentioned,  during  the  whole  time  no 
other  bee  came  to  the  honey.  I  might  also  mention 
that  I  had  put  out  six  similar  flower-pots  in  a  row,  and 
that  this  seemed  to  puzzle  the  bee  a  good  deal ;  she 
frequently  buzzed  about  before  them,  and  flew  from  one 
to  the  other  before  entering.  When  she  went  in,  she 
generally  stood  still  just  inside  the  entrance  for  about 
thirty  seconds  buzzing  loudly  with  her  wings.  1 
thought  at  first  whether  this  could  be  intended  as  a 
sort  of  gong  to  summon  other  bees  to  the  feast ;  but 
though  several  were  flying  about,  at  any  rate  none  came. 
The  following  day  (August  25)  she  came  at  6.51,  and 
had  made  nine  journeys  up  to  8.41,  when  I  left  off 
watching.     During  this  time  no  other  bee  came. 

August  26.— She  came  at  6.32,  and  up  to  8.43  had 

made  thirteen  journeys.  .    a  aox^^a 

August  27.-She  came  at  6.7,  and  up  to  8.43  had 

made  fourteen  journeys.  ^    ^  ^^  v^a 

Auqust  28.-She  came  at  6.17,  and  up  to  7.11  had 

made  five  journeys.     During  these  days  no  other  bee 

^^""on  July  19  I  put  a  bee  (No.  10)  to  a  honeycomb 
.  containing  12  lbs.  of  honey 

At  12.36  went  back  to  hive 
12.55 


COMMUNICATION  AMONG  BEES. 


411 


At  12.30  she  returned. 

12.50 

» 

1.  6 

99 

1.53 

» 

2.  5 

9> 

2.16 

J> 

2.28 

»> 

2.49 

W 

3.13 

W 

3.31 

» 

3.45 

>» 

4.  2 

9» 

1.12 

1.57 

2    9 

2.20 

2.32? 

2.55 

3.20 

3.39 

«5.0o 

4.  8 


j> 


jj 


»» 


»» 


» 


»> 


>? 


99 


» 


» 


» 


4.18  she  returned. 

4.31 

4.47 

5.10 

5.27 

6.  9 

6.23 

7.19 

7.35 

7.50 


9) 
99 
99 
99 
99 


99 


4.24  went  back  to  hive. 

4.37 

4.58 

5.19 

5.30 

6.15 

6.29 

7.24 

7.40 

7.55 


99 

99 


99 


99 
99 


99 


99 


and  during  all  this  time  no  other  bee  came  to  the  comb. 
On  the  following  morning,  July  20,  this  bee  came 
to  the  honeycomb 


t  6.    5  A.M. 

At  6.10 

6.37  she  returned. 

6.42 

7.17 

99 

7.21 

7.41 

99 

7.47 

8.  8 

99 

8.12 

8.21 

99 

8.25 

8.32 

99 

8.54 

9.  4 

99 

9.  9 

9.45 

» 

9.51 

10.  4 

99 

10.10 

10.19 

5> 

10.26 

10.40 

99 

10.47 

10.59 

99 

11.  4 

11.14 

J9 

11.19 

11.44 

99 

11.52 

11.59 

12.  6 

12.15 

12.23 

12.29 

12.35 

12.41 

Hi 

^was  dis- 

turbed) 

12.52 

1.  2 

1.  9 

1.16 

1.30 

1.46 

1.55 

99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
9* 
9> 
9» 
99 
t» 
9* 

99 
99 
99 


■k^  x^^i^r^i-y/z-,^ 


>  %j3iiiAMU^i'<i.l. 


412 


COMMUNICATION  AMONG   BEES. 


I  then  left  off  observing  ;  but  during  the  whole  of  this 
time  no  other  bee  had  come  to  the  comb. 

October  9.— I  took  a  bee  (No.  11)  out  of  the  hive 
and  put  her  to  some  honey :  she  returned  and  kept  on 
visiting  it  regularly. 

October  10.— This  bee  came  to  the  honey  at 
:.30  A.M.,  and  went  on  visiting  it ;  but  I  was  not  able 
to  watch  her  continuously.  During  these  two  days  no 
other  bee  came  to  this  honey. 

October  11.— No.  11  came  to  the  honey 


At  7.12 
7.18 
7.27 
7.38 
7.51 

8.  2 
8.15 
8.30 
8.41 
8.55 

9.  6 
9.20 
9.45 
9.55 

10.  7 
10.19 
10.30 
10.35 
10.55 

11.  4 
11.26 
11.35 


A.M.,  but  did 
she  returned. 


>? 
55 
99 
99 

99 

55 


net  alight. 

At  7.21  went  back  to  hive 
7.31 


7.44 

7.56 

8.  8 

8.22 

8.35 

8.46 

8.59 

9.11 

9.25 

9.50 

10.  1 

10.11 

10.23 


55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 


a  strange  bee 
she  returned. 


99 


came  ;  I  killed  her. 
At  10.40  went  back  to  hive, 
10.59 
11.  8 
1 1 .30 
11.38 


55 
55 

55 


55 


Another  strange  bee  came. 

At  11.52  she  returned.     At  11.55  went. 
12.  7  •-  12.12 


99 


BBrtsfcj^aiihp-  ^t'Ja.jfe  6' *:**-■  I&<^^.i:^l^tffc^*^^^..Jfcri  'smtiJ.^'d^:  £j2Zi^/lbi^  J&A'l  -  ■• 


COMMUNICATION   AMONG   BEES. 


413 


12.17  she  returned. 

12.31 

12.58 

1.  8 
1.19 
1.30 
1.45 

2.  2 
2.15 
2.29 
2.45 
2.50 
2.57 


99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

55 


12.22  went. 
12.36 

1.  2 
1.12 
1.23 
1.34 
1.48 

2.  6 
2.18 
2.35 
2.47 
2.52 

3.  0 


55 

55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 

55 


after  which  she  did  not  come  any  more  that  day.  It 
was,  however,  a  bad  day,  and  after  1  o'clock  she  was 
almost  the  only  bee  which  came  out  of  the  hive.  The 
following  morning  she  came  to  the  honey  at  7.58  A.M., 
but  did  not  alight,  behaving  just  as  she  had  done  the 
day  before. 
At  8.  6  A.M.  No.  11  returned  to  honey.    At  8.  9  went. 


8.14 
8.30 
8.42 
8.54 
9.  9 
9.19 
9.29 
9.37 
9.54 


99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


99 
99 
99 
99 

59 
?9 
99 
99 
99 


8.20 
8.34 
8.46 
8.59 
9.14 
9.24 
9.33 
9.44 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


but  was  distm-bed 


A  strange  bee  came.  At  9.59  No.  1 1  went. 

At  10.  5  she  returned  to  the  honey.  At  10.  8 

10.12              „  5,  10.13 

10.16              „  5,  10.20 

10.26              „  55  10.28 

10.33              „  „  10.36 

10.40             -  ..  10.46 


went 


99 


55 


55 


55 


55 


5> 


414 


COMMUNICATION   AMONG  BEES. 


10.55  a  strange  bee  came.  No.  11  returned  to  the 
honey  regularly,  and  went  on  coming. 

October  13. — At  6,28  a.m.  she  came,  but,  as  before, 
flew  away  again  without  alighting. 

At  6.32  she  came  to  the  honey. 
6.42 


6.51 

>5 

7.10 

99 

7.26 

» 

7.46 

99 

7.55 

» 

8.12 

n 

8.20 

n 

8.30 

n 

8.37 

n 

8.50 

»> 

and  so  on. 

?> 


J5 


J> 


i» 


5> 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


At  6.36  went  away. 

6.46 

55 

6.56 

55 

7.14 

55 

7.34 

55 

7.50 

55 

8.  0 

15 

8.15 

55 

8.26 

55 

8.33 

55 

8.44 

55 

8.56 

54 

Octoher\^. — She  came  for  the  first  time  at  8.15  a.m., 
and  went  on  visiting  the  honey  at  the  usual  intervals. 
After  this  day  1  saw  her  no  more  ;  she  had  probably 
met  with  some  accident.  But  these  facts  show  that 
some  bees,  at  any  rate,  do  not  communicate  with  their 
sisters,  even  if  they  find  an  untenanted  comb  full  of 
honey,  which  to  them  would  be  a  perfect  Eldorado. 
This  is  the  more  remarkable  because  thesr.  bees  began 
to  work  in  the  morning  before  the  rest,  and  continued 
to  do  so  even  in  weather  which  drove  all  the  others 
into  the  shelter  of  the  hive.  That  the  few  strange 
bees  which  I  have  recorded  should  have  found  the 
honey  is  natural  enough,  because  there  were  a  good 
many  bees  about  in  the  room.  My  room,  I  may  add, 
is  on  the  first  floor  ;  if  it  had  been  on  the  level  of  the 
ground  I  believe  that  many  more  bees  would  have  found 
their  way  to  the  honey. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  the  similar  observati»)ns  made 
with  wasps. 


ir**'W-'»T^«TEP  ■»»»"•*'  TiWS^iia     t^o      fct-"-*  : 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH   WASPS. 


415 


The  first  one,  I  believe  a  worker  of  Vespa  Germanica, 
1  marked  and  put  to  some  honey  on  September  18. 

The  next  morning  she  came  for  the  first  time 
at  7.25,  and  fed  till  7.28,  when  she  began  flying 
about  the  room,  and  even  into  the  next ;  so  I  thought 
it  well  to  put  her  out  of  the  window,  and  she  then  flew 
straight  away  to  her  nest.  My  room,  as  already 
mentioned,  had  windows  on  two  sides;  and  the  nest 
was  in  the  direction  of  a  closed  window,  so  that  the 
wasp  had  to  go  out  of  her  way  in  passing  out  through 
the  open  one. 

At  7.45  she  came  back.  I  had  moved  the  glass 
containing  the  honey  about  two  yards  ;  and  though  it 
3tood  conspicuously,  the  wasp  seemed  to  have  much 
difficulty  in  finding  it.  Again  she  flew  to  the  window 
in  the  direction  of  her  nest,  and  I  had  as  before  to 
show  her  the  way  out,  which  I  did  at  8.2. 

At  8.15  she  returned  to  the  honey  almost  straight. 
At  8.21  she  flew  again  to  the  closed  window,  and 
apparently  could  not  find  her  way,  so  at  8.35  I  put 
her  out  again.  It  seems  obvious  from  this  that  wasps 
have  a  sense  of  direction,  and  do  not  find  their  way 
merely  by  sight. 

At  8.50  back  to  honev,  and  8.54  a^jain  to  wrongr 
window ;  but  finding  it  closed,  she  took  two  or  three 
turns  round  the  room,  and  then  flew  out  through  the 
open  window. 

At  9.24  back  to  the  honey,  and  9.27  away,  first, 
however,  paying  a  visit  to  the  wrong  window,  but  with- 
out alighting. 

At  9.36  back  to  honey ;  9.39  away,  but,  as  before,  going 
first  to  wrong  window.     She  was  away,  there- 
fore, 9  minutes. 
9.50  back  to  honey  ;  9.53  away.'  Interval  11  minutes. 
K.  0     „  „       10.  7     „  „       11        ., 


*  This  time  straight. 


416 


COMMUNICATION. 


10.1 9  back  to  he 

mey; 

10.22  away. 

Interval  12ininutea 

10.35 

j> 

10.39 

99 

13 

10.47 

99 

10.50 

99 

9 

11.  4 

» 

11.  7 

99 

14 

11.21 

W 

11.24 

99 

14 

11.34 

» 

11.37 

99 

10 

11.49 

99 

11.52 

99 

11 

12.  3 

59 

12.  5 

99 

11 

12.13 

99 

12.15^ 

99 

8 

12.25 

99 

12.28 

99 

10 

12.39 

99 

12.43 

99 

11 

12.54 

99 

12.57 

99 

11 

1.15 

99 

1.19 

99 

18 

1.27 

99 

1.30 

99 

8 

Here  for  the  first  time  anc 

>the 

r  specimen 

came  tc 

the  honey. 

At  1.37  back  to  hooey 

;   1.39  a\ 

v-ay. 

1 

■ 

1.46 

55 

99 

1.49 

Interval  7  minutes 

1.54 

55 

1.58 

99 

5 

2.  5 

99 

2.  7 

99 

7 

2.15 

99 

2.19 

99 

8 

2.27  2 

55 

9 

2.32 

99 

8 

2.39 

99 

2.42 

99 

7 

2.50 

99 

2.54 

99 

8 

3.  2 

99 

3.  6 

99 

8 

3.14 

99 

3.17 

99 

8 

3.26 

99 

3.29 

99 

9 

3.38 

99 

3.42 

99 

9 

3.50 

99 

3.58 

99 

8 

4.  7 

99 

4.12 

99 

9 

4.20 

55 

4.23 

99 

8 

4.32 

99 

4.36 

99 

9 

.- -TfT-jSto-?' -     ,< 

-  ■*  'AT  ■:  v-iMSPmaJKim-  apucr^'-w^-^ 

-"-V    ,  V'  *',^^;':?^K*:rT*^ 

'^^^'W^^^ 

: 

COMMUNICATION. 

417 

4.46  back  to  honey ; 

4.49  away.  Interval  10  minutes. 

5.  0     , 

5.  3 

5             11 

5.13     , 

5.17 

5             10 

5.26     , 

5.30 

9 

5.40     , 

5.44 

,       10 

5.54     , 

5.59 

,       10 

6.  7     , 

6.11 

5           8 

6.20     , 

«                 1 

6.25 

Xl,„i.     A 

9           9 

■^  rt     vm  1  1 

She  d .  . 

be  seen,  she  had  made  forty-five  visits  to  the  honey  m 
eleven  hours.  During  the  whole  of  this  time  no 
strange  wasp,  except  the  one  above  mentioned,  came  to 

this  honey. 

The  following  day,  September  20,  this  wasp  made 
her  appearance  in  my  room  at  6.55,  when  she  flew 
straight  to  the  honey. 
At  6.55  came  to  honey ;  6.59  went  away. 


•  Was  rather  disturbed,  as  I  tried  to  mark  her. 

'  She  very  often,  however,  throughout  the  day,  in  goinp^  away, 
flew  to  the  other  window  tirst,  and  then,  without  alighting,  returnod 
♦o  and  went  through  the  open  one. 


7.  8 
7.18 
7.30 
7.41 
7.53 

8.  4 
8.15 
8.27 
8.38 
8.50 

9.  1 
9.12 
9.22 
9.34 
9.46 

10.  1 
10.13 
10.28 
10.38 


99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 


7.10 
7.22 
7.32 
7.45 
7.56 

8.  7 
8.18 
8.30 
8.41 
8.53 

9.  4 
9.15 
9.25 
9.36 
9.51 

10.  3 
10.18 
10.30 
10.42 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
} 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 


Absent  9  minutes. 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
95 


8 

8 

9 

8 

8 

8 

9 

8 

9 

8 

8 

7 

9 

10 

10 

10 

10 

8 


55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

59 

59 

95 

59 

99 

95 

59 

99 


y.jB<iaB^86lri-tMlfei^iigBteMiii»iiMtfa 


418 


COMMUNICATION. 


COMMUNICATION. 


419 


10.53  came  to  honey;  10.56  away.  Absent  11  minutes. 
11.  7  „  11.11  „       „     11 

11.21  „  11.25 

11.32  ^  11.36 


>5 

55 

1   X 

5> 

5? 

J» 

10 

7 

J> 

>J 

?5 

» 

The  wasp  which  came  once  yesterday  returned  vnd 
rather  disturbed  the  first. 

At  11. 49  came  to  honey;  11.50away.  Absent  13  minutes, 
11.57  „  12.  0     „  „       7 

12»  o  ««  1^.11      ,.  .,        o 


9? 


5> 


Here  I  was  away  for  about  two  hours. 

2.42  came  to  honey  ;  2.46  away. 

2.58  „  3.  2     „    Interval  12  minutes, 

Om2D  M  O.ZO  .«  ««  O 


?) 
>» 


Here  I  was  called  away. 
4.25  came  to  honey ;  4.28 


4.41 
5.15 
5.30 
5.45 
6.  2 
6.15 


99 
99 


99 


99 


4.45 
5.19 
5.35 
5.50 
6.  6 
6.17 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 


13 
30 
11 
10 
12 
9 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 


This  was  the  last  visit  that  day.  She  made,  there- 
fore, thirty-eight  visits  during  the  time  she  was  watched, 
which  was  not  quite  eight  hours.  She  was  at  work 
from  6.55  to  6.15;  and  assuming  that  she  was  occupied 
in  the  same  manner  during  the  three  hours  when  she 
was  not  watched  as  during  the  rest  of  the  time,  she 
would  have  made  over  fifty  visits  to  the  honey  during 
the  day. 

Wishing,  however,  to  have  a  complete  record  of  a 
day's  work,  I  watched  her  the  following  day  without 
intermission. 


September  21.— I  began  watching  at  ten  minutes 
past  six. 

6.16  came  to  honey;  6.19  away 


6.29 
6.41 
G,55 
7.11 
7.23 
7.37 
7.56 


8.11 
8.20 
8.31 
8.40 
8.50 
8.58 
9.  8 
9.18 
9.30 
9.39 
9.50 

10.  1 
10.14 
10.25 
10.37 
10.47 

11.  0 
11.17 
11.34 
11.5C 

12.  5 
12.20 
12.36 

1.  8 


55 
95 
55 
5» 
95 
55 
99 


6.32 
6.44 

7.  0 
7.15 
7.26 
7.42 

8.  3 


Interval  10  minutes. 
9 
11 
11 
8 
11 
14 


99 
99 

n 
n 

95 
99 


99 

55 
55 
99 

55 


95 


Was  disturbed,  and  seemed  rather  troubled. 

Interval  8  minutes. 


came  to  honey;  8.14  away. 

8.24 


55 

55 

55 

95 

95 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

99 

55 

99 


8.34 
8.42 
8.52 
9.  0 
9.11 
9.22 
9.32 
9.40 
9.54 

10.  5 
10.17 
10.28 
10.40 
10.51 

11.  6 
11.20 
11.37 
11.53 

12.  8 
12.24 
12.40 

1.11 


99 
99 
99 
99 
99 

99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 

n 

99 
99 
99 


6 

7 

6 

8 

6 

8 

7 

8 

7 

10 

7 

9 

8 

9 

7 

9 

11 

14 

13 

12 

12 

12 

28 


95 
95 
55 
95 
95 
55 
99 
99 
59 
99 
99 
99 
•99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 
99 

n 


:SiB&gfciiia!.-a.>^!* ;.-«»- J 


■Jii.ailtSt.Ti 


i20 


COMMUNICATION. 


1.26  came  to  honey  ;  1.28  away.    Interval  15  minutes 


1.40 
1.57 
2.10 
2.25 
2.45 


1.42 
2.  2 
2.13 
2.30 
2.56 


5> 

55 


99 


12 
15 

8 
12 
15 


f9 

n 

55 


She  buzzed  about  at  the  other  window  for  a  few 
minutes,  which  made  the  interval  longer  than 
usual. 
3.13  came  to  honey ;  3.18  away.    Interval  17  minutes. 


3.29 

55 

3.31 

55 

n 

11 

55 

3.41 

55 

3.45 

55 

jj 

10 

55 

3.49 

55 

3.52 

55 

99 

4 
7 

55 

4.  2 

55 

4.  6 

55 

99 

99 

4.19 

55 

4.22 

55 

99 

13 

55 

4.29 

55 

4.33 

55 

99 

7 

59 

4.40 

59 

4.44 

55 

99 

7 

55 

4.51 

55 

4.53 

55 

99 

7 

55 

5.  4 

55 

5.  6 

55 

99 

11 

55 

5.16 

55 

5.20 

55 

99 

10 

55 

5.32 

55 

5.35 

55 

99 

12 

55 

5.45 

» 

5.50 

55 

99 

10 

55 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  intervals  of  her  absence 
were  remarkably  regular.  On  one  occasion,  indeed, 
she  was  only  away  four  minutes ;  but  this  time  I  think 
she  had  been  disturbed,  and  had  not  provided  herself 
with  a  regular  supply  of  food. 

The  number  of  visits  was  fifty-one  in  eleven  hours 
and  a  half.  I  tried  whether  she  would  be  in  any  way 
affected  by  a  dead  wasp,  so  I  put  one  on  the  honey ; 
but  she  took  no  notice  whatever. 

I  observed  with  other  wasps,  that  when  the  open 
window  was  not  the  shortest  way  to  their  nests,  they 
had  a  great  tendency  to  fly  to  that  which  was  in  the 
right  direction,  and  to  remain  buzzing  about  there. 


INDUSIFwY   OF  WASPS. 


421 


During  the  whole  of  this  day  only  four  or  five 
Btrange  wasps  came  to  the  honey. 

As  regards  the  regularity  of  their  visits,  and  the 
time  occupied,  other  wasps  which  I  observed  agreed 
very  closely  with  this  one.  For  comparison,  it  may  be 
worth  while  to  give  one  or  two  other  cases.  I  will 
(X3mmence  with  that  of  a  worker,  I  believe  V.  vulgaHs. 
observed  on  September  19. 

10  A.M.  I  put  her  to  the  honey;  she  fed  and  then  flew 
about  the  room,  and  at  last  got  into  my  bee- 
hive. 
1 0.54.  She  came  in  again  at  the  window.  I  again  put 
her  to  the  honey.  She  again  flew  all  about 
the  room. 
11.41.  She  returned,  and  this  time  came  to  the 
honey;  but  when  she  had  fed  again  flew 
round  and  round  the  room,  and  did  not  seem 
able  to  find  her  way  out.  I  therefore  put  her 
out. 

12.11  she  returned,  and  the  same  thing  happened  again. 

^^•-^  [  to'honey  ;  j    ^^'^^  ^^^  straight  away. 
12.45 


12.53 
1.10 
1.26 
l.,38 
1.50 

2.  3 
2.12 

2.20 
2.40 
2.51 

3.  1 
3.13 
3.25 


12.57 


55 


1.29 

55 

1.41 

55 

Interv 

al  9  minutes 

1.53 

55 

»9 

9 

99 

2.  6 

55 

55 

10 

55 

2.16 

55 

99 

6 

«« 

Was  disturbed. 

9f 

2.25 

55 

99 

4 

99 

2.43 

55 

55 

15 

59 

2.54 

55 

99 

8 

99 

3.  4 

55 

99 

7 

99 

3.16 

>» 

99 

9 

99 

3.28 

9 

9f 

422 


REGULARITY  OF  VISITS. 


3  35  I'^^'?^^''''^!   3.38  (^^"^   \  Interval  7  minutes. 
^•^^  I  to  honey  ;  J  I  away  J 


5? 


8 
8 
9 
9 
9 
8 
8 


Was  disturbed  and  flew  about.  8 


3.46  „  3.50 

3.58  „  4.  1 

4.10  „  4.14 

4.23  „  4.25 

4.34  „  4.38 

4.46  „  4.50 

4.58  ..  5.  4 
5.14 

She  did  not  return  any  more  that  evening,  but 
made  her  appearance  again  at  half-past  six  the  next 

morning. 

From  twelve  o'clock,  when  she  had  learnt  her  way, 
till  five,  she  made  twenty-five  visits  in  five  hours,  or 
about  five  an  hour,  as  in  the  previous  cases. 

It  struck  me  as  curious  that  on  the  following  day 
this  wasp  seemed  by  no  means  so  sure  of  her  way,  but 
over  and  over  again  went  to  the  closed  window. 

Again,  September  21,  at  11.50  I  fed  a  wasp. 

1 1.56  she  returned  to  honey ;        11.57  flew  away 
12.  6 


1.25 
1.37 
1.57 
2.15 
2.22 
2.32 
2.50 

3.  2 
3.14 
3.28 
3.40 
3.51 

4.  4 
4.16 


55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
55 
5> 

» 
5> 
9f 


55 

55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


55 


»• 


12.  8 
1.27 
1.39 

2.  0 
2.17 
2.25 
2.36 
2.55 

3.  4 
3.18 
3.30 
3.44 
3.55 

4.  8 
4.20 


55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

55 

»• 

55 

55 

55 


A   DAY'S   WORK. 


423 


? 

she  returned  to 

honey  ; 

4.31 

flew  away. 

4.37 

4.41 

4.46 

4.48 

4.57 

5.  0 

5.  9 

5.12 

5.22 

5.26 

5.31 

•, 

5.36 

She  made  therefore  twenty-three  journeys,  but  did 
not  bring  a  single  friend. 

Tlie  last  case  of  which  I  will  give  particulars  is  the 
following,  which  has  been  already  alluded  to  on  p.  321. 
When  1  went  to  my  sitting  room  at  4.13  a.m.,  I  found 
her  already  there,  though  it  was  still  almost  dark.  Her 
visits  to  the  honey  were  as  follows  : — 


4.13 

A.M., 

returning 

at 

4.32 

55 

» 

4.50 

J> 

>5 

5.  5 

55 

J» 

5.15 

JJ 

J» 

5.22 

5» 

55 

5.29 

JJ 

J> 

5.36 

J> 

»5 

5.43 

)» 

55 

5.50 

5> 

>5 

5.57 

>) 

55 

6.  5 

>J 

J5 

6.14 

>; 

55 

6.23 

>» 

?» 

55 

6.30 

>5 

>> 

55 

6.40 

>> 

ij 

55 

6.48 

?> 

j> 

» 

6.56 

» 

j> 

55 

7.  5 

>» 

»» 

55 

7.12 

>> 

5> 

55 

7.18 

>» 

» 

55 

7.25 

j> 

55 

55 

7.31 

>> 

55 

5> 

7.40 

j> 

55 

5> 

424 


A  DAY'S  WORK. 


7.46   A.M.,   returning  at 

7.52 

8. 

8.10 

8.18 

8.24 

8.29 

8.36 

8.40 

8.45 

8.56 

9.  7 

9.14 

9.20 

9.26 

9.37 

9.43 

9.50 

9.57 

10.  4 
10.10 
10.15 
10.24 
10.29 
10.37 
10.45 
10.50 
10.59 

11.  6 
11.15 
11.22 
11.30 
11.35 
11.47 
11.55 

12.  6   P.M., 
12.14 
12.22 
12.36 


J) 

» 

» 
» 


>> 
>> 
)> 


» 

9 


» 

» 
» 


■  «v^i^    V^**^* 


'  e   *■-*■»  ,     ■TPT'T'fff  11<W  ■■  ' 


A   DAY'S   WORK: 


425 


12.46 

P.M., 

returninor 

at 

12.52 

)? 

» 

12.56 

>> 

» 

» 

1.  4 

)> 

»> 

» 

l.ll 

>? 

» 

» 

1.20 

» 

» 

55 

1.25 

)> 

» 

55 

1.30 

j> 

» 

55 

1.35 

)» 

» 

55 

1.43 

5> 

» 

55 

1.48 

?» 

» 

55 

1.53 

>> 

» 

55 

-) 

/w. 

» 

» 

55 

2.  7 

>> 

» 

55 

2.12 

>> 

» 

55 

2.23 

5» 

?> 

55 

O  *>'» 

»i.»>»> 

»> 

»> 

55 

2.39 

)» 

»> 

'5 

2.45 

?» 

» 

55 

2.55 

)» 

>» 

55 

3.  2 

?J 

)» 

55 

3.  9 

J> 

» 

55 

3.17 

>» 

» 

55 

3.25 

>» 

» 

55 

3.30 

J> 

» 

5) 

3.37 

?> 

» 

55 

3.45 

J> 

>» 

55 

»*  .""  ^ 

3.i);) 

>) 

» 

5> 

4.  5 

5» 

» 

55 

4.12 

>> 

» 

55 

4.19 

55 

» 

5> 

4.28 

J» 

» 

55 

4.39 

>J 

» 

if 

4.46 

>» 

» 

5> 

4.56 

55 

>» 

55 

5.  3 

55 

» 

55 

5.14 

55 

» 

5> 

5.25 

55 

» 

79 

5.35 

55 

j> 

It 

29 


a-c.    -.vc:,  ^jLifc 


420 


A   DAY'S  WOKK. 


A   DAY'S   WORK. 


427 


5.46 

r.M., 

returning 

at 

5.50 

)> 

J) 

» 

6.  5 

>) 

» 

>» 

().12 

» 

>» 

» 

().r>0 

» 

» 

99 

0.30 

?» 

» 

» 

0.40 

>» 

» 

» 

0.4<) 

V 

>i 

9» 

0.55 

?> 

» 

99 

7.  7 

5> 

»> 

99 

7.17 

?» 

j» 

»> 

7.:}0 

>> 

» 

99 

7.36 

>> 

j» 

99 

7.46 

»> 

>» 

99 

Tliis  was  bor  last  visit  for  the  eveninij:,  and  she  thus 
made  no  less  than  116  visits  in  the  day,  durinir  whieh 
time  only  three  other  wasps  found  the  honey,  though  it 
was  lying  exposed  on  a  table  at  an  ojjen  wiiuluw.  It 
will  be  seen  that  she  worked  with  the  utmost  industry. 

No  doubt,  however,  if  a  wasj*  is  put  to  honey  in  an 
exposed  plaee,  other  wasj»s  gradually  find  their  way  to 
it.  In  the  preceding  ex})erinuMits  some  few,  though 
but  few,  did  so.  I  then  thought  1  would  try  a  similar 
experiment  with  concealed  honey.  Accordingly,  on 
Sei)tember  20,  I  marked  a  wasp  and  put^  her  to  some 
honey,  which  she  visited  assiduously.  The  following 
morning  I  opened  my  window  at  (>,  and  she  made  lur 
first  visit  at  6.27,  the  temj»erature  being  61'  Fahr.  I 
then  placed  the  honey  in  a  box  communicating  with 
the  outside  by  an  india-rubber  tube  6  inches  long  and 
I  inch  in  diameter.  The  wasp,  however,  soon  got  accus- 
tomed to  it,  and  went  in  and  out  without  much  loss  of 
time.  The  22nd  was  finer  ;  and  when  I  opened  my 
window  at  6  in  the  morning,  she  was  already  waiting 
outside,  the  temperature  being  61°.  The  23rd  was 
rather  colder,  and  she  came  first  at  6.20,  the  temperature 
being  again  61°. 

I  was  not  at  home  during  these  days  ;  but,  as  far  as 


ft 


I  couhl  judge  from  watching  in  the  mornings  and  even- 
ings, no  other  wasp  found  the  honey.  On  the  24th  I 
had  a  holi<lay,  and  timed  her  as  follows.  It  was  ratluT 
colder  than  the  preceding  days,  and  she  did  not  come 
till  r>.40,  when  the  temperature  was  58°.  She  returned, 
as  follows  : — 


6.49 
0.58 
7.12 
7.22 
7.32 
7.40 
7.50 
H.  0 
8.   U 


8.19 
8.26 
8.35 
8.45 

8.52 
9.  2 
9.12 
9.45 


I  had  alm(>st  closed  the  window,  so  that  she  had  a 
ditliculty  in  finding  her  way. 


9.58 
10.10 


10.32 
10.51 


The  temi)crature  was  still  only  60°,  and  it  was  rain- 
ing, scarcely  any  other  vvasps  about. 


11.  1 
11.11 
11.21 
11.29 
11.40 
11.46 
11.56 

12.  6 
12.14 
12.25 
12.33 

1.21 
1.32 


1.42 
1.53 

2.  0 
2.11 
2.26 

2.51 
2.59 

3.  8 
3.14 
3.23 
3.32 
3.40 


1.  ■!&»■■■£;.•. 


■  ^"•ffT^v  -fiv^^i^w^vA  yk,:A 


428 


DESCRIPTION   OF 


THE   AUSTRALIAN   UONEY   .VNT. 


429 


3.48 
3.57 
4.12 
4.20 
4.29 
4.39 
4.47 


4.58 
5.  G 
5.17 
5.28 
5.35 
5.42 
5.52 


This  was  her  last  visit.  During  tlic  whole  day  no 
other  wasp  found  tlie  honey.  I  also  tried  (►ther  wasi)s, 
concealing  the  honey  in  the  same  manner,  and  with  a 
similar  result. 

I  have  no  doubt  some  wasps  would  make  even  more 
journeys  in  a  day  than  those  recorded  above. 

The  following  are  descriptions  of  some  new  species 
referred  to  in  the  preceding  pages.  The  tirst  is  the 
Australian  honey  ant. 

Camponotus  iNFLATUs,  n.  s]).*  OjK>rarh(. — Long. 
15  mill.  Nigra,  tarsis  ])allidi()ribus  ;  subtil  iter  coriacea, 
setis  cinereo-testaceis  sj)arcis  ;  antennis  til)iis(jue  baud 
pilosis  ;  tarsis  infra  hirsutis  ;  mandibulis  ])unctatis,  hir- 
sutis,  sexdentatis  ;  clypco  non  carinato,  ant  ice  integro  ; 
petioli  squama  modice  incrassata,  antice  convexa,  pos- 
tice  ])lana  emarginata.     ILiJt.  Australi;in. 

The  colour  is  black,  the  feet  l)t'ing  somewhat  ]>aler. 
The  body  is  sparsely  covered  with  stiff  cinereo-testa- 
ceous  hairs,  especially  on  the  lower  and  anterior  ]>art  of 
the  head,  the  mandibles,  and  the  posterior  edge  of  the 
thorax.     The  head  and  thorax  are  finely  coriaceous. 

The  antennjB  are  of  moderate  length,  twelve-jointed  ; 
the  scape  about  one-third  as  long  as  the  termiiuil  por- 
tion, and  somewh.'it  bent.  At  the  a])ex  of  the  scape 
are  a  few  short  spines,  bifurcated  at  the  point.  At  the 
apex  of  each  of  the  succeeding  segments  are  a  few 
much   less  conspicuous   spines,  which   decrease   in   size 

*  In  the  Liuiuvaii  Journ-  v.     I  have  given  figures  of  this  species. 


from  the  basal  secrments  outwards.  The  antenna  is  also 
thickly  clothed  with  short  hairs,  and  especially  towards 

the  apex  with  leaf-shaped  sense-hairs.  The  clypeus  is 
rounded,  with  a  slightly  developed  median  lobe  and  a 
row  of  stiff  hairs  round  the  anterior  border  ;  it  is  not 
carinated. 

The  mandibles  have  six  teeth,  those  on  one  side  be- 
ing rather  more  developed  and  more  pointed  than  those 
on  the  other.  They  decrease  pretty  regularly  from  the 
outside  inwards. 

The  maxilla}  are  formed  on  the  usual  type.  The 
maxillary  j)alpi  are  six-jointed,  the  third  segment  being 
but  slightly  longer  than  the  second,  fourth,  or  fifth  ; 
while  in  M(/nnecoci/stits  the  thir<l  and  fourth  are  greatly 
elongated.  The  segments  of  the  j)alpi  luive  on  the  inner 
side  a  number  of  curious  curved  blunt  hairs  besides  the 
usual  shorter  ones. 

The  labial  i)al])i  are  four-jointed.  The  eyes  are  ellip- 
tical and  of  moderate  size.     The  ocelli  are  not  develoj)ed. 

The  thorax  is  arched,  broadest  in  front,  without  any 
marked  incision  l)etween  the  meso-  and  meta-notum  ; 
the  mesonotum  itself  is,  when  seen  from  above,  very 
l)roadly  oval,  almost  circular,  rather  broader  in  front 
and  somewhat  flattened  V)ehind.  The  legs  are  of  mod- 
erate length,  the  hinder  ones  somewhat  the  longest. 
The  scale  or  knot  is  heart-shai>ed,  flat  behind,  slightly 
arched  in  front,  and  with  a  few  stiff,  slightly  diverging 
hairs  at  the  u]>per  angles.  The  length  is  about  two- 
thirds  of  an  inch. 

The  following  refers  to  a  new  s]iecles  of  mite  which 
I  have  found  in  nests  of  Lttsitii^farns,  and  of  which  ]\Ir. 
jSIichnel  has  been  good  enough  to  draw  up  the  following 
description. 

Uropoda  formicari.k,  sp.  nov. 

This  species,  although  it  falls  strictly  within  the  ge- 
nus iyi)p<Khi^  and  not  within  Kramer's  genus  Trarhy- 
')}(>fuii  as  defined  by  that  writer,  still  in  most  respects, 
cxcej)t  the  very  distinctions  upon  which  the  genus  is 


430 


DESCRIPTION  OF  A  MITE 


founded,  resembles  Trachy)wtm  pf/riformis  (Kramer) 
more  closely  than  it  does  any  other  recorded  species.  It 
is,  however,  decidedly  different,  and  is  characterised  by 
the  s(iuareness  of  its  abdomen,  the  thickness  and  rough- 
ness of  its  chitinous  dermal  skeleton,  and  inperlalbj  by 
the  powerful  ciiitinous  ridges  or  wing-like  expansions 
on  the  lateral  surface  between  the  second  and  thiril  pair 
of  legs. 


Lenffth,  $  and  ? ,  about  '05  millim. 
lireadth 


?) 


»> 


•55 


ij 


Tlie  abdomen  is  almost  scpiare,  but  somewhat  longer 
than  broad,  and  slightly  narrowed  at  its  junction  with 
the  cephalothorax,   from   which    it  is    not    ])lainly   <lis- 
tinguished.      The   extreme   edge  is  a  strong   chitinous 
ridge   bordered    with    a   thick    fringe    of    short,    stout, 
curved  hairs,  as  in  T.  pi/r/fonnis.     The  dorsal  surface 
of  the  cephalothorax  is  also  narrowed  towards  the  front, 
and  has  a  curved  anterior  margin  bent  down  so  as  to 
protect  the  mouth,  as  in  that  species  ;  it  bears  a  few  ()f 
the  same  kind  of  hairs  as  the  abdomen,  and  has  a  chiti- 
nous thickening  at  each  side.    The  abdomen  rises  alniost 
perpendicularly  from  the  marginal   ridge.     There  is  a 
central  depression  occupying  the  posterior  half,  or  rather 
more  than  half  of  the  abdomen  ;  and  at  the  bottom  of 
this  depression  are  transverse  ridges,  the  hinder  ones 
nearly  straight,  an<l  the  anterior  ones  bent  in  the  mid- 
dle, the  central  point  being  forward  ;  at  the  sides  of,  but 
not  in,  this  depression,  are  two  chitinous  blocks  which 
seem  to  form  a  starting-point  for  the  ridges.     Anterior 
to  this  depression  the  central  portion  of  the  creature,  i.e. 
its  longitudinal  dorsal  axis,  is  higher  in  level  than  in 
parts  nearer  the  margin,  and  forms  an  irregular  triangle 
of  rough  chitine.     A  broad  chitinous  plate  or  ridge  ])ro- 
jects  on  each  side  above  the  second  leg,  and  between 
that  and  the  third,  evidently  for  their  protection  ;  it  is 
probably  flexible  at  the  will  of  the  creature,  as  in  the 
genus  Orlhates, 


PARASITIC  ON   ANTS. 


431 


The  sternal  surface  has  strongly  marked  depressions 
for  the  reception  of  the  legs.  The  coxa?  of  the  first  pair 
of  legs  are  largely  developed,  flattened],  almost  touch  in 
the  median  line,  and  nearly  ccmceal  the  mouth,  as  in  the 
typical  lrntjfO(f((s.  The  genital  opening  of  the  male  is 
rather  large,  round,  and  placed  centrally  between  the 
coxa*  of  the  secon<l  pair  of  legs.  The  female  aj)pears 
only  to  be  <listinguished  from  the  male  by  being  more 
strongly  chitinised,  and  by  the  conspicuous  valval  plate 
which  occu])ies  tlie  whole  space  between  the  coxa»-  of 
the  second  and  third  pairs  of  legs  and  extends  beyond 
both. 

The  nymph  is  less  scpiare  in  the  abdomen  than  the 
adult,  and'  the  border  of  hairs  is  absent  ;  the  margin  is 
somewhat  undulated,  the  concave  undulations  being  so 
placed  as  to  give  free  action  to  the  legs  when  raised  ; 
the  central  depression  of  the  abdomen  is  far  less 
marked  than  in  the  adult  ;  a  slight  ridge  runs  all  round 
the  dorsal  surface  a  little  within  the  margin  ;  four 
ridges,  two  anterior  and  two  posterior,  run  from  the 
circumscribing  ridge  to  a  raised  elli])se  in  the  centre  ; 
there  are  not  any  plates  for  the  ]>rotection  of  the  legs, 
and  the  coxfc  of  the  first  pair  are  not  flattened  as  in  the 
adult. 

This  mite  lives  in  the  nests  of  Fonmcajfava, 


Descrfpfio7i  of  a  New  Genets  and  Specks  of  Phori<l(V. 
panifiitlr  on  Ants.  l>y  G.  II.  Vkrrall,  Esq.,  Memb. 
Entom.  8oc. 

Sir  Joiix  LrnnorK  has  kindly  forwarded  for  my  exami- 
nation and  determination  certain  specimens  of  dipterous 
insects  said  to  have  been  found  parasitic  on  species  of 
ants,  which  latter  he  has  been  studying  with  care  as  to 
their  habits.  Having  given  considerable  attention  to 
the  family  Phorida3,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find 


■4mM 


432 


DESCRiniON   OF  TWO   NEW 


i^LIES  PARASITIC   ON   ANTS. 


433 


the  parasitic  specimens  to  be  forms  new  to  science.  One 
of  these  is  a  new  species  of  the  genus  Phora  ;  the  other 
I  regard  as  possessing  cliaracters  .<jw/  (jeneris^  and  lience 
define  it  under  the  generic  title  Plitty^thonty  at  the 
same  time  bestowing  on  the  species  the  name  of 
the  discoverer,  who  worthily  ])ursues  entomological 
researches,  spite  of  many  pressing  public  engage- 
ments. 

The  subjoined  descriptions  embrace  the  diagnostic 
peculiarities  of  the  insects  in  question. 

PiioRA  FORMicARi'M,  x\.  sp. — Nigro-cincrca,  fronte 
setosa,  caniculata  ;  antennis  mediocril)us,  cinereis  ;  j)al- 
pis  magnis,  flavis  ;  halteribus  flavidis  ;  pedibus  tot  is 
pallide  Havis,  iiiermibus,  tibiis  intermediis  unicalcara- 
tis,  posticis  modice  dilatatis  ;  alis  subhyalinis,  nervo 
secundo  simplici,  nervulis  vix  undulatis.  Long,  vix 
i  lin. 

Frons  broad,  grey,  bristly,  two  large  bristles  being 
close  to  the  eye-margin  ;  <iown  the  centre  is  a  <l(ep  im- 
]>resse<l  channel,  which  at  its  lower  end  joins  a  channel 
above  the  antenme,  an<l  at  its  upj)erend  a  channel  round 
th(^  raised  vertical  triangle  ;  the  space  between  these 
two  latter  channels  (comprising  the  true />*o;/.s)  is  ab<;ut 
once  and  a  half  broader  than  deep  ;  on  the  vertical 
triangle  are  two  bristles  ;  the  third  joint  of  the  an- 
tenna-i  is  moderately  large,  ovate,  grey  ;  the  arista  short, 
somewhat  yellowish,  almost  nake(l  ;  the  jmljii  con- 
s])icuous,  all  ]>ale  yellow,  with  a  few  short  hlark  bris- 
tles at  the  tip  ;  on  the  cheeks  are  some  short  black 
bristles. 

The  thorax  is  cfrey  or  brownish  crrev,  broad,  not  much 
arched,  the  disk  being  nearly  flat,  and  on  the  hin<ler 
j)art  absolutely  concave  ;  on  the  <lisk  there  are  no  long 
bristles,  but  a  dense  clothing  of  rather  short  black 
bristles  ;  along  the  side  of  the  thorax  between  the 
humeri,  the  base  of  the  wing,  and  the  scutelluju  are 
some  long  black  bristles,  and  two  on  the  thorax  just 
before  the  scutellum  ;  on  each  side  of  the  scutellum  are 


i 


two  long  bristles  ;  halteres  dirty  pale  yellow  ;  abdomen 
bare,  dull  black,  with  slightly  yellowish  incisures  :  ovi- 
positor  polished  black,  long,  slightly  incurved  and 
i^rooved. 

Legs  pale  yellow,  including  the  coxa*,  clothed  with 
minute  black  bristles  ;  all  the  coxje  with  two  or  three 
black  bristles  at  the  tips,  the  legs  otherwise  bare  except- 
ing the  spurs  ;  femora  flattened  and  widened,  es])ecial- 
ly  the  hind  ])air,  the  hind  tibi;e  also  slightly  flattened 
and  wi<lene(l  on  the  apical  half ;  middle  tibia*  with 
a  long  spur  inside  at  tlie  tip,  and  hind  tibi;e  with  a 
small  one  inside  ami  a  very  minute  one  outside  ;  tarsi 
longer  than  the  tibia%  joints  gradually  diminishing  in 
lenujth. 

Winors  very  slightly  smoky,  broad  ;  second  thick 
vein  not  extending  half  the  length  of  the  wing,  thick- 
ened,  but  not  forked  at  its  tip  ;  first  veinlet  with  a 
steady  curve  ;  second  very  slightly  curved  at  base,  other- 
wise  straiirht  ;  third  very  sliij^htlv  undulated  :  fourth 
hardly  visible  at  base,  evident  towards  tip,  very  slightly 
un<lulated  ;  costa  bristly  up  to  end  of  second  thick 
vein. 

This  species  is  readily  distinguishe<l  by  its  simjjle 
second  thick  vein,  channelle<l  frons,  small  size,  and  by 
the  absence  of  bristles  on  the  tibite. 

It  is  parasitic  on  L((HhiK  uh/er, 

Platvpiiora,  n.  gen. 

I-.ata,  ]>lanx,  tota  abs(pie  set  is.  Frons  latissima. 
Thorax  trans  versus.  Abdomen  ]>aryus.  Alarum  vena 
cubit  alis  siinplex,  subacostali  parallela  ;  venuhe  un<lu- 
lata*  ;  costa  ad  basin  subciliata. 

Distinguished  from  all  the  existing  genera  of  Pho- 
rida'  by  its  flat  and  broad  shape,  which  resembles 
that  of  the  small  s))ecies  of  SpfKi-rocera.  The  ab- 
sence of  strong  bristles  on  the  frons,  thorax,  an<l  legs 
also  distinguishes  it  from  all  the  genera  exce])t  (ri/m- 
}i<tjt/ior«fy  which,  however,  is  of  the  usual  arched  Pho- 


434 


PLATYrnORA   LTTHBOCKIT. 


PLATYniORA   LUBIOCKII. 


435 


ra-shapo,   and  has  the   cubital  vein  forked,  oosta  bare, 

&c. 

PLATYniORA  LuHBOcKii. — Nigra,  nitida  ;  abdomine 
triangulari,  segmento  tertio  parvo  ;  fenioribus  posticis 
basi  liavidis  ;  alis  apice  latis,  flavido-hyalinis,  costa  ad 
basin  subeiliata,  vena  cubitali  ad  medium  eosta^  ex- 
tensa  subcostali  parallela,  venulis  undulatis.  Long,  f 
lin. 

l>road,  flat,  shining;  frons  very  l»road,  tlie  eyes 
scarcely  occupying  each  one-sixth  the  width  of  tiie 
head  ;  it  is  moderately  shining,  gently  arched,  an<l 
pretty  densely  clothed  with  minute  bristles  ;  the  three 
ocelli  visible  slightly  luteous  ;  antenn.T  with  the  third 
joint  ratlier  large,  somewhat  rounded  ;  thorax  broad, 
flat,  rather  broader  than  the  head,  angles  toleral)ly 
rounded,  disk  shining  (in  appearance  suggesting  a  small 
Sphcerocera),  beset  with  very  minute  bristles,  which  be- 
come rather  scarcer  towards  the  hinder  part  ;  scutellum 
rather  dull,  margined,  nearly  four  times  as  broad  as 
long  :  abdomen  black,  narrower  and  shorter  than  the 
thorax  (again  suggestive  of  Sphwrocera)  ;  each  segment 
after  the  second  successively  narrower,  the  last  one  be- 
ing almost  triangular  ;  the  third  segment  is  very  short, 
contracted  under  the  second  ;  the  hind  margins  form  a 
curved  convex  towards  the  thorax,  the  first  segment  be- 
ing slightly  emarginate  in  the  mi<ldle  ;  the  sixth  (last) 
is  mucii  the  longest.  Legs  stoutish,  blackish,  basal  two- 
thinls  of  hind  femora  yellowish  ;  middle  tibise  with 
two  small  spines  at  the  tip.  Wings  considerably  over- 
lapping the  abdomen,  yellowish  hyaline,  darker  about 
the  basal  half  of  the  costa,  blunt  at  the  tip,  cubital  vein 
extending  a})out  half  the  length  of  the  wing,  and  the 
costa  slightlv  ciliate  up  to  its  end,  subcostal  vein  run- 
ning parallefto  it  and  ending  just  before  it  ;  both  veins 
a  little  thickened  at  their  ends  ;  first  veinlet  curved  8- 
like,  considerably  at  its  base,  slightly  at  its  end,  vanish- 
ing disti!ictlv  before  the  tip  of  the  wing  ;  secon<l  veinlet 
also  S-like,  diverging  at  its  end  from  the  first,  and  end- 
ing distinctly  below  the  tip  of  the  wing;  third  veinlet 


slightly  undulated,  ending  very  wide  from  the  second  5 
fourth  faint,  not  reaching  the  end  of  the  wing. 

Tiiis  description  having  been  made  from  a  specimen 
gummed  down  on  canl,  though  in  very  good  condition, 
1  am  unal)le  to  decide  on  the  sex,  or  to  examine  the 
face,  palj>i,  base  of  antenna?,  or  coxai. 


pT^^nA* 


t^g^^^U^JjaMBSah 


i|WM«9(N«9MW«Mn 


t  jytoafe^^tt.  ^tSiiJssiiiCJlllS/'^iSkK^^  i.'-.M.ta^  Piil>/ifiMsitJf£i£ 


INDEX. 


ABD 

ABDOMEN  of  ant  (1c.scril)C»l,  10, 
i:?;    of    the   M«;xican    lioiiey 

ant,  ID.  47 
A<"uia    with    holl'iw    thorns    in- 
habit e<  I  liy  ants,  o7 
AfVection      hss      ]>ow«'rful      than 

hatred  among  ants,  UK) ;  absence 

of,  amonj^  bees,  2SG 
A;:ricultural  ants,  01,  1)2 
Aldrovandus  quoted  as  to  aiVs,  Gl 
Amazon   ants,   see  PoUjcr<jm   ru- 

frsce/ts 
Amber,  an    intermediate   form   of 

ant  preserved  in,  OS 
Analo«,ncs   between   ant    societies 

and  human,  1)1 
Amhe  quoted  as  to  PUilporthrun, 

75;  :ia  to  the  slaves  oJE   F.  mn- 

ffHin({i,  80 
Jnrrf/titcg,  85;  no  workers  amonj^ 

them,    86 :  di'j^raned   condition 

ol,  81) 
An'mal    food,  queens  hatched  in 
an  aititicial   nest  supplied  with, 

40 

iairarvm  Sicnqvipcdale,  leng^th  of 
tlowers  of,  52 

Jnmmna  arrrnf,  tlie  Driver  ant, 
described,  20,  G:J  ;  tlieir  blind- 
ness, f).') 

Ants,  tliree  families  «»f,  1  :  four 
lH.'rio  ,>  .  f  life  in,  fi;  duration  of 
life  among.  S,  H8,  40  ;  structure 


AFH 

of,  10  ;  different  classes  of  iridi- 
viduals  among,  18  ;  communities 
of,  24;  games  of,  28;  their  rela- 
tion to  plants,  50;  often  ins4!cl»- 
vorous,  51) ;  their  relations  to 
other  animals  generally  hostile, 
r>:{ ;  their  enemies,  20,  07  ;  their 
domestic  animals,  r>7-78 ;  pro- 
gress among,  1)0 ;  their  beha- 
viour towards  each  other,  94, 
&c. ;  mental  powers  of,  181 ; 
tleir  sense  of  vision,  11,  182- 
220,  258;  of  smell,  127,  2:58, 
258;  of  liearing,  221,  220;  stri- 
dulating  apparatus  amou'^^,  230. 
their  intelligence,  2'M 

« Ant  eggs,'  7 

♦  Ant-rice,*  01 

Antenna  of  ant  described,  10; 
sersc  oiijan  in  terminal  portion 
of,  illustrated.  227 

Antennjc  as  means  of  communica 
tion  among  ants,  153  ;  as  organs 
of  hearing,  221,  220;  of  smell, 
94,  234 

Antirrhimim  fertilised  by  humble 
bees,  54 

Aphidts  made  use  of  by  ants,  25, 
07  ;  different  species  of,  utilised 
by  different  ants,  08;  their 
honey,  09 ;  their  i-ggs  tended  by 
ants,  70  ;  not  domesticated  by 
F.  Ja.ua, ^di 


g3rifiiit»„»i:tat:k!r"  ^'.*„-v"'--s.  ■•A'aj^MA-g-bia 


438 


INDEX. 


M 

!. 


INDEX. 


43r 


ARI 


CAR 


Aristida  olignntJia,  *  ant- rice,'  CI 
ArtiHcial  nosts  for  ants.  3,  1(54 
Ateuchits  2^1'i^rius,  anecdote  of, 

154 
Atrophy  of  the  imaginal  discs  of 
the  ant-workeis,  12;  of  the 
stina:  in  Ftmnica,  15;  of  the 
eyesof  PlatyuTthrmimd  Jicckia, 
75 
A^ta  harbariiy  the  eye  in,  11  ; 
variety  of  workers  unionj^:,  19 

—  »trnct()r,  its  treatment  of  col- 
lected trrain,  fil 

—  te:(ttici'0-jnl4>sa, ex^ieT'imcnt  with, 
.MS  to  power  of  cummunication, 
177 

Attachment  amono:  ants,  94 
Auditory  organs,  structures  in  ant- 
antenn.'e  probably  nerve  as,  220 
Australian    honey    am,    49;    de- 
scribed, 428 


BATES,    Mr.,   quoted  af>  to  the 
live    kinds    of     workers    in 
JSaiiba,  22 ;  as  to  ant-play,  29  ; 
as  to  the  use  made  by  ants  of 
leaves,  57  ;  as  to  the  armies  of 
Eciton,  65  ;  as   to   leaf -cutting 
by  Sauba,  2;i7 
Ba,tHi(us,   rarely    more   than    one 
specimen  of,  found  in  an  ants' 
nest,  78 
TiecMa,  one  of  the  ant-guests,  74 
Bees,      occiisional      fertility      of 
workers   among,    36  ;  means  of 
recognition   among,    126 ;  their 
sense  of  hearing,  221,  290  ;  ob- 
servations with,  274;  difficulty 
in  finding  tlieir  waj-,  278  ;  their 
behaviour  in  a  strange  hive,  281 ; 
their    recklessness,    285;    their 
want  of  mutual  aflFcciion,  286; 
^heir  influence  on  the  develop- 
ment of  flowers,  61,  201  ,  their 
colour  sense,  291  ;  their  prefer- 
ence for  blue,  294  310  ;  experi- 
ments on  communication  among 
them,  276,  401 


Beetles  kept  in  ants'  nests,  74,  76, 
90 

Belt,  Mr.  Thomas,  quoted  as  to 
lionil  defences  against  anls,  51  ; 
as  to  defence  agaii.st  leaf-cut - 
tin^r  ants,  57  ;  on  the  raids  of 
FHton,  66;  on  an  ant-llkn 
spider,  66 

Ben,  Prof.  I'aul,  as  to  the  limits 
of  vision,  219 

Bichromate  of  potash,  ex|)criments 
with,  211 

IJisulphidc  of  carbon,  experiments 
with,  20S  ; 

Blancliard,  M.,  (juoted  as  to  the 
origin  of  nests,  30 

Blindness  of  Anumma  and  IJHfou 
<!5  ;  of  Platyarthrm  and  Jicchia- 
lit 

Bhie,  the  favourite  colour  of  I  ees, 
294.  .304,  310;  (lowers,  their  lite 
origin,  .{08 

P>onnet,  .M.,  on  aphis  eggs,  70 

Bonnier,  M.,  on  inditterence  to 
colour  among  bees,  302 

liof/trionif/rmfx  meridionalix,  the 
eyt'  in,  1 1 

Brazil,  blind  hunting  ants  of,  65  ; 
use  made  by  the  Indians  in,  of 
the  tenacity  of  an  ant-bite,  96 

BuchUe  dactnlnidi'H,  seed  of,  col- 
lected by  ants,  61 

Biichner,  Dr.,  as  to  Texan  harvest- 
ing ants,  62 

Burmeister,  on  the  power  of  recog- 
nition among  insect.s  126 

Butterfly,  ants  seen  licking  the 
larva  of,  68 


riAMPONOTUS    itt/atM,     do- 
^     scribed,  428 
—    li<fnipcrdii»,   the  eye    in,    11  ; 

communrcation  among   158 
Captivity,  mode  of  keeping  ants 

in,  2,  3  ;  a  wasp  in,  315 
Caterpillars  killed  by  ants,  59,  65 
Qiryoj)hyUacecp,     correlation      of 

form  and  colour  in,  309 


CHE 


DUJ 


CJii'iniitnu,  rarely  more  than  one 

si»ecimen  of,  in  an  ants' nest,  78 
Christ,  M.,  on  tlie  length  of  life  of 

(lueeii  ants,  \) ;  on  ant  roads,  25 
Cl)n>iiie   alum,  experiments  as   to 

ant  vision  with,  217 
Cliromium   chloride,   experiments 

with,  217 
Cla[>arede,  M,  as  to  insect-vision, 

183 
Clark,  Rev.   Hamlet,  as  to  an  ant- 
tunnel  in  S  Am(-rica,  25 
Cltivitjer,  a  blind  beetle,  a  guest 

in  ants'  nests,  75,   70 ;  cxju^ri- 

nu'nts  with,  by  M.  Les])es,  90 
Cleanliness  of  ants,  29 
Chccidt/',  their  use  to  ants,  68 
Cocoons  spun    by  some   larvie   of 

ati's,  7 
Coliiltopsia  trufiCf/tn  and  C.ftusij/cs, 

two  forms  of  the  same  sixscies, 

20 
Colour-sense  of  ants,  180,  5cc.  ;  of 

bees,  291.  \'c. ;  of  wasfts,  310; 

less    develn|)ed     among    wasps 

than  bees,  321 
Colours  of  flowers,  evolution   of, 

•M\S 
Communication,  power  of,  among 

ants,    153,    &c.  ;    among    bets, 

156;    exfxiriments   »s   to,   with 

anls,  100,  344,370;  with  bees, 

270,  401  ;  with  wasps.  311,  415 
Communities  of  ants,  24  ;  power 

of   mutual   recognition    among 

members  of,  1 19,  333 
Compassion  among  ants,  instances 

of,  J 00,  108  ;  absence  of,  among 

bees,  286 
Co-o|jeration,    experiments  as   to, 

among  ants,  305-37<J 
Correlation  of  f«)rm  ot  knot  with 

stinging  power  in  ants,  13;  of 

colour  in  llowers  withsj)ecialisa- 

tion  .)f  form,  1508 
Courage   of   an's,   27;  of    wasps, 

3U 
CremiiiogoKter  Un  ml  at  ay  adoption 

of  a  queen  by,  34 


Crrmafogaster  scKtcllaris,  theii 
neglect  of  friends  in  trouble. 
98 ;  experiments  as  to  percep- 
tion of  colour  among,  192 

—  Sitrdidula,  threatening  attitude 
of,  10 

Cross- fertilisation  effected  by  in- 
sects, 50 


T^APIlJVfA,  limits  of  vision  in, 
-^     219 

Darkness,  education  of  \oung 
ants  conducted  in,  5  ;  effect  of, 
on  the  eyes  of  Platyarthrus  and 
JJcchia,  75 

Darwin,  on  the  sound  produced 
bv  MHtilla,  229 

—  Francis,  on  the  use  of  the  leaf- 
cups  of  teiizle.  52 

Dead,  treatment  of  the,  among 
bees,  287 

Defences  of  flowers  against  un- 
tiidden  gucs's,  52-7 

Degradation  of  Stronfiyloijhatlius, 
85  :  caused  by  slavehoUiing,  89 

Uewitz,  Dr.,  on  the  non-develop- 
ment of  the  sting  in  the  For- 
micid;e,  14  ;  on  eggs  laid  by 
fertile  workers,  30,  40 

Dinarda  dcntata  in   ants'  nests, 

JH/Mwus  sylrcatris,  leaf -cups  of,  52 
Direction,  sense  of,  among  ants, 
200 :  guided  by  the  position  of 
the  light.  208;  sense  of,  among 
bees,   278;  among   wasps,   321, 
420 
Discs,    atrophy   of    imaginal,    in 
worker    ants,    12;    cleared    by 
harvesting     ants,    01;     experi- 
ments as  to  sense   of  direction 
with  rotating.  201,  kc. 
Division   of    labour   among  ant«, 
23,  44  ;  tabular  view  of  experi- 
ments on,  324 
Domestic  animals  of  ants,  08-78 
Driver  ants,  see  Annmma  arccm 
Dujardin,  M.,  as  to  the  i)ower  of 


•  ^^^^^!SM^h 


440 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 


EBR 


441 


FOO 


oonimunica'ion  among  bees,  156. 
313 


EBRARD,   M.,  his   observations 
as  to  the  origin  of  auts'  nests. 

Of  ' 

Eciton^  the  eye  in,  11 

—  drcjuniophora^   their    order   in 
marcliing,  21 

—  erratica^  soldiers   among,  21  ; 
their  covered  galleries,  66 

—  Ivfjionn  at  play,  29 

—  rristator,    soldiers  among,   21  ; 
their  covered  galleries,  65 

Economy  of  labour  among   ants, 

exfHjriments  jis  to,  240,  \'c. 
Eggs  of  ants  described,  6  ;    laid 

(Kjca^sionally  by  worker  ants,  ."Jo  ; 

by  worker  bets  and  wasps,  iU't ; 

those  always  pro<Iuce  males,  'A7  ; 

as  to  di  lurence  of  sex  in,  40  ; 

of  aphis,  tended    by  ants,   61); 

andliatched  in  cjiptiviiy,  71 
Electric  light,  experiments  on  ants 

with,  2(K) 

Emery's  observations  on  Coloho/ms, 
20  ^ 

Enemies  of  ants,  26,  67 

Evolution  of  colour  in  (lowers,  308 

Exi>eriments,asto  the  adoption  of 
a  queen   by  ants,  32  ;  as  to  di- 
vision  of  labour  among  ants,  23, 
44,   324 ;    as   to   th.  ir  care   of 
a  phis- eggs,  70  ;  on  Clavvjer,  90  ; 
as  to  the  treatment  by  ants  of 
injured   companions,   94,     107  ; 
with     chloroformed    ants,    98, 
108-111;    with   drowned   ants, 
99;  with    buried  anis,   102;  as 
to  treatment  of  stranger  ants, 
104,  119,  124.  333;  as  lo  mode 
of   recognition,    108;    with   in- 
toxicated ants.  111    118;  as  to 
power    of     recognition    among 
ants,  J 19,  333  ;  and  amon^'  bees, 
126;    wiih    ant-pup;u    removed 
from   nest,    129-117;  i.n  sisier- 
lUitii  brought  up  separately,  147- 


152,  as  to  power  of  commnnl- 
cation    among    ants,     160-181, 
344-376  ;  among  Ixjes,  274,  401  ; 
among   wasps,  311,  415;  as  to 
perception  of  colour,  186;  with 
coloured   solutions,    194  ;    with 
spectrum,  198  ;  with  the  electric 
lighr,    201;    as   to   ultra-\iolet 
rays,  200-220 ;  with  magnesium 
spark,  207  ;  as  to  sense  of  hear- 
ing  among  ants,   222;    among 
bees,  290 ;  as  to  sense  of  smell 
among  ants,   233,   258;  among 
bees,  288  ;  as  to  ant  intelligence, 
237  ;  as  to  economy  of  labour, 
241  ;    as    to    ingenuity  among 
ants.  24:M>;  as  to  their  power 
of   Jiiiding    their   way,    250;  as 
to  means  of  tracking,  168,  383, 
387;  as  to   sense   of  direction 
among  ants,  260  ;  among  bees, 
278;  and  among  wasps,  321  ;  as 
to  guidance    of  ants  by  sight, 
266;    as    to    the    bel.av'.our    of 
bees  in  a  strange  hive,  281 ;  jis- 
to  their  compassion,  286  ;  as  to 
their    colour   sense,    291  ;    and 
their     preferetice      of     certiin 
colours,  302  ;  as  to  colour  sense 
among  wasps,  316 
Expulsion  of  ant  from  nest,  98 
Eyes   of  twv)    kinds  in   ants,  10; 
compound,     182;     viirious    de- 
velopments of,  183 


I^ACETS    of    the    eye    in   ants, 
number  of,  1 1  ;  descrihefl,  1 82 
Feeding,  loss  of  instinct  of,  76. 83. 

87 

Fertilisation  of  plants  by  insects, 

50,  291 
Fighting    among    ants,  ditTerent 

mod(8  of,  17 
Fhjwers,    their    defences   against 

improtital.le  insects,  51-55  ;  iu- 

thience  of  bees  on  their  develop- 

^  nient,  291  ;  p.uiriiy  of  blue.  3<»8 

Food  of  Hnt>,  2:.,  y\\\ :  Us  elUct  in 


FOR 


FOR 


I 


determining  the  sex  in  ants  and 
bees,  40;  individual  ants  in 
certain  species  serve  as  recep- 
tacles of,  47 

Foragers,  certain  ants  of  a  nest 
told  off  as,  45,  47 

Forel,  Dr.,  referred  to  as  to  tlie 
emergence  c>f  ])up:v  of  ;ints,  8  : 
as  to  their  compound  eyes,  10; 
as  to  the  jK^sition  of  spiracles, 
14  ;  as  to  the  oMices  of  young 
ants,  23  :  as  to  /'.  rvfa,  27  ;  as 
to  ant-games,  28,  29 ;  as  to 
origin  of  nests.  31  ;  as  t )  eggs 
laid  by  workers,  35;  on  the 
honey  ant.  40  ;  on  the  germina- 
tion of  grain  in  ant-stores,  61  ; 
as  to  Ixjetles  in  ant  nests,  78; 
as  to  the  slaves  of  /•'.  mntjmnca, 
80;  as  to  the  slave-making  of 
Stroiuifihujnnthim,  i>tTt  '^  on  A  nrr- 
gtitt'A,  86  ;  on  the  behaviour  of 
ants  to  each  other,  94  ;  on  re- 
cognition among  ants,  120;  as 
to  power  of  crunmunication 
among  ants,  158;  as  to  their 
insensibibility  to  soujid,221  ;  as 
to  special  organs  in  ti.eir  an- 
tennie,  227 

Formica  hijtj/innsn,  its  nest,  24 

—  cincrra,  16;  character  of,  27; 
CiJgs  l.'ud  by  workers  among,  37, 
39;  duration  of  life  of,  42  " 

'—  coNf/cnnts,  Thuigophila  in  nests 
»'.,  i  7 

—  rrM-rta,  mode  of  attack  of,  17  ; 
extent  of  nest  of,  24  ;  Th'uiiut- 
phihi  in  nests  of,  77 

■^  jffirn,  I'rnpoda  in  ne.sts  of,  431 
—/iigra,  occasionally  spins  a 
cocoon,  7 ;  its  timidity,  27  ;  in- 
troduction of  a  queen  among, 
31  ;  e^rgs  laid  by  workers 
among.  38,  39  ;  queens  produced 
in  captivity,  40;  longevity  of, 
42;  division  of  labour  among, 
45;  occasionally  found  in  the 
nests  of  /'.  rufft,  79  ;  enslaved 
by    r.    »nnffuiNi(t,   80,    J^ioft/- 


arthrus  received  in  nests  of,  90; 
tlieir  condition  analogous  to 
that  of  the  hunting  races  of 
men,  91  ;  their  neglect  of  friejvls 
in  trouble,  96  ;  expulsion  of  a 
member  from  the  nest,  98 ;  mite 
attached  to  the  hea<l  of  a  cjueen 
of,  98;  their  neglect  of  im- 
prisoned companions,  103  ;  hos- 
tility towards  imprisoned 
strangers.  101;  instances  ol 
their  kindness  10  crippled  com- 
])anions,  106;  experiments  as 
to  recognition  among,  122,  130, 
134,  233;  on  fowcr  of  commu- 
nication amon.',  161,  180;  as  to 
perception  of  colour  among,  188, 
19:{  201 
Fortiiic/i  ijapates  enslaved  by  F. 
Xfif/f/fri/irn,  80 

—  lif//n/)m/fi,  experiments  as  to 
sense  of  hearing  among,  223  ;  aa 
to  s(.'nse  of  smell  among,  234 

—  7>i/irn,  experiment  as  to  power 
of  communication  among,  363 

—  priitrmtia,  eye  of,  10,  IS4  ;  at- 
tacked by  P.  rjrsi'cta,  18;  its 
treatment  of  slain  enemies,  27  ; 
Steniimuia  in  nests  of,  78;  large 
communities  of,  119 

—  rufa,  its  power  of  ejecting  poi- 
son, 15;  its  mode  of  attack.  17, 
27;  nests  of,  23  ;  large  number 
of  insects  kept  in  nests  of,  74, 
75  ;  Stenamind  in  nests  of,  78 

—  rutihtirhis  ])erhaps  a  variety  of 
F.'fiixcu,  80 

—  gtniflKiucn,  its  mode  of  attack, 
17  ;  duration  of  life  of,  41,  42  ; 
D'nmrdti  in  nests  of^  77;  their 
periodi'ial  attack  on  neighbour- 
ing nests,  79;  slaves  made  by, 
80 ;  not  yet  degraded  by  slave 
holding,  88 ;  they  apparently 
understan<l  the  signals  of  Pra- 
frndx,  159 

Pormlndtr,  ono.  of  the  three  fami- 
lies of  ants,  1  ;  power  of  sting- 
ing absent  in  them,  13 


30 


442 


INDliX. 


Franklin,  Dr.,  as  to  power  of  com- 
munication among  ants,  155 

Friends,  behaviour  of  ants  to,  \)7, 
J.01 ;  recognition  of,  119,  333 

GALLERIES,  covered,  made  by 
Eciton^  (55 

Galton,  Mr.  Francis,  on  domestic 
animals  kept  as  pets,  77 

Games  among  ants,  28 

Gt'lieu,  M.,  on  means  of  recogni- 
tion among  bees,  I2fi 

Gentians,  colours  of,  310 

Glasses,  experiments  on  ants  with 
coloured,  186,  kc. 

Gould,  Mr ,  on  the  emergence  of 
the  imago,  8 ;  on  ant-games, 
28  ;  on  the  egys  of  aphides,  fi'J 

Goureau,  M.,  on  the  sound  pro- 
duced by  Mutilla,  229 

Graber,  Dr.  von,  on  the  sense 
organs  in  the  legs  of  Gnjllns, 
231 

Grain  collected  and  stored  by  ants, 
2(),  (iO ;  germination  <  (f ,  prevented 
by  ants,  CI 

Gredler,  Dr.,  anecdote  of  ant-intel- 
1  licence  told  by,  237 

Grimm's  observations  on  Dinarda^ 

Grote,  Mr.,  quoted  as  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  morality  in  societies, 
y3 

Growth  of  insects  takes  place 
during  the  larval  stage,  8 

Guests  of  ants,  74 

Gryllus,sense  organs  in  tibi:e  of,23 1 

]  I  AIUTATIONS  of  an^s.  24 

J  1      Hagens,    von,   quoted  as  to 

mynnecopliilous     beetles,     77; 

on  the  slave-making  of  6tron(/!i- 

lognathux,  85  ;  on  Ancrgatcx,  8<» ; 

his  suggesticms  as  to  Stronrfy- 

kigtuithuA,  87 
Hairs  of  p  ants  as  defences  against 

insects,  55 
llarve>ting   ants,  frl),  92;    in  the 

houth  of  Europe  and  Texas,  Gl 


INS 

Hatred  a  stronger  passion  with 
ants  than  affection,  106 

Head  of  ant  described,  10;  large 
size  of,  in  workers  of  certain 
species,  20,  22 

Hearing,  sense  of,  among  insects, 
221  ;  possibly  present  in  ants, 
22(; ;  among  l)ees,  290  ;  among 
wasps,  313 

If(t ferine  ftvKqmcornu,  in  ants' 
nests,  77 

Hieks,  Dr.  J.  r>raxton,  on  the 
antennsc  of  insects,  2i7 

Hildebrand  on  the  variations  of 
blue  tlovvers,  310 

Honey,  love  of  ants  for,  51  ;  oC 
aphis,  69  ;  experiments  on  ants 
entangled  in,  98 

Honey  ants,  19,  47  ;  independently 
originated  in  Mexico  and  'i'exar, 
49  ;  of  Australia  described,  428 

Houe,  Mr.,  tjuoted  as  to  harvest- 
ing ants,  60 

Hearse  ant,  see  F.  rvfa 

Huber,  as  to  ants  playing,  28  ;  as 
to  the  formation  of  a  nest,  30  ; 
on  the  care  taken  by  ants  o? 
a[)his  v';!:y:,s^,  7(»;  as  to  slavery 
among  ants,  81  ;  as  to  their  re- 
cognition of  friends,  120;  as  to 
their  deafness,  221 

Hui)tin'4  ants,  59,  63,  91 

Ilildnophytitm  fontiicuriimy  its  as- 
sociation with  ants,  58 

Hi/mcnoptcra,   common   origin    of 
the  sting  in  the,  15  ;  the  social, 
m<  ans    of    comuiunication    be 
tween,  153 

INDIVIDUAL  differences  be- 
tween  ants,  95,  101  ;  between 
bees,  279 

Indus  ry  of  ants,  27;  of  wa-sps, 
321,  421 

Insects,  their  metamorphoses,  8; 
their  agencv  in  fertilisation  of 
liowers,50, 291  ;  mimicking  ants, 
66;  kept  by  ants,  73;  recogni- 
tion  among,   126  ;  their  visioii, 


INDEX. 


443 


INS 

182;  their  hearing,  221;  pos- 
sibly possess  senses  inconceiva- 
ble to  ourselves,  225 

fiisensible  ants,  experiments  with, 
99-108 

Intelligence  among  ants,  181,  236; 
experiments  as  to,  240 

intoxicated  ants,  ex))eriments  on, 
111;  tabular  view  of  experi- 
ments, 118;  experiments  re- 
ferred to,  128 

KKRNEU  on  floral  defences,  52  ; 
on  the  uses  of  nectaries,  56 
Knot  in  ants,  specific  characters 

offered  by  ft)rr'i  of,  13 
Kirby  and  Sjxiuce,   Messrs.,  as  to 
power  of  conjmunication  among 
ants.  15ft ;  on  the  power  of  sound 
in  MiitiUa,  229 

I  A  HOUR,  division  of,  among 
i  ants,  23,  44  ;  experiments  as 
to  economising,  210;  tabular 
view  of  experiments  on,  324  332 

Landois,  on  the  sound  emitted  bv 
Mutillu,  229;  on  stridulatiug  ap- 
paratus in  ants,  230 

Langstrolh,  Dr.,  as  to  recognition 
by  smell  among  bees,  281  ;  on 
their  recklessness.  2S5 

Larvie  of  ants  described,  6;  of 
stranger  nests  carefully  tended, 
129 

La.'^i IIS hru n neus  prefers  the  ajdiides 
of  the  bark  of  trees,  68 

—  fill!' US,  period  of  larval  life  in, 
7;  the  eye  in,  11;  will  not 
adn])t  astninge<|ueef),  32  ;  mites 
jn  the  nest  of,  67;  keeps  Hocks 
<»f  the  root-feeding  apliis,  (S^  \ 
keo[)s  four  or  five  species  of 
aphis  in  i's  nests,  73;  Platij- 
arthrux  a  guest  of,  75,  90  ;  they 
have  arrived  at  the  'pastoral 
stage'  of  progress,  91  :  their 
behaviour  to  a  dead  (|ueen,  108; 
to  chloroforiiu'd  friends  and 
ilrangers,    108-111;    to  intoxi- 


LEP 

cated  friends  and  strangers.  111; 
their  tre;itment  of  strangers, 
123 ;  perception  of  colour  among, 
190,  193,  195;  experiments  as 
to  sense  of  hearing  among,  223  ; 
stridulatiug  apparatus  in,  231  ; 
structure  in  tibia  of,  232  ;  want 
of  ingenuity  among,  248  ;  eai'tli- 
works  constructed  by,  249  ;  ex- 
periments with,  as  to  power  of 
communication,  365;  as  to  co- 
operaiion,  372;  new  species  of 
mite  found  in  nests  of,  429 
L(i.<ins  nigcr,  workers  among,  19  ; 
fed  by  aphides,  25 ;  eggs  laid 
by  workers  among,  37  ;  longe- 
vity of,  42 ;  typical  nest  of,  illus- 
trated, 42  ;  and  described,  44  ; 
they  carry  seeds  of  violet  into 
their  nests,  59 ;  their  choice 
among  aphides,  68  ;  Piaty- 
arthrua  a  guest  of,  75  ;  Hetferius 
found  in  nests  of,  77  ;  experi- 
ments as  to  (Inrigcr  in  nests  of, 
90;  observations  on  a  wounded 
worker  among,  95  ;  experiment  s 
with  buried  individuals  of,  102  ; 
with  pupaj  as  to  recognition 
among,  131  ;  as  to  power  of 
communication  among,  160,  163, 
172,  175,  356-362,  377;  as  to 
perception  of  colour  among,  191, 
2(H  ;  as  to  their  intelligence, 
240 ;  their  want  of  ingenuity, 
242,  246;  as  to  scent,  258;  as 
to  sense  of  direction  among, 
260;  Phora  formicarum  para- 
sitic on,  433 

—  iiiliyi'ioidis,   the    eye   in,    11; 
stridulatiug  apparatus  in,  230 

Latreille  cjuoted  as  to  compassioL 

sliown  by  ant.s,  94 
Leaf-cutting  ants,  57 
Legs  of  ants  described,  12 
Li'jttothorax     acvrrornm,      Platy- 
arthrus  a  guest  of,  75  ;    Tamo- 
gnat  hits  in  nests  of,  87  note 

—  vniwornnif     Tumoijnatkui     iu 
nests  of,  87  note 


144 


INDEX. 


LES 

Le^p^s,  M.,  on  eg'^s  laid  by  work- 
ers, 35  ;  on  j^rain  stored  by  ants, 
61  ;  on  the  feedinp^  of  Lome- 
ehnsta  by  ants,  70  ;  on  the 
domestic  arimals  of  ants,  1)0 

Leuckart,  his  experiments  on  ant- 
intelligence,  238 

Life,  duration  of,  among  ants,  8 

Light,  dislike  of  ants  to,  2,  186  ; 
as  aid  to  sense  of  direction 
among  ants,  208  ;  bees  attracted 
by,  284 

Ligurian  queen  bee,  introduction 
of  a,  287 

Limits  of  vision  with  ants,  experi- 
ments as  to,  li)9-20G;  in  Daph- 
nia,  21t) 

Lincecum,  Dr.,  as  to  Texan  lar- 
vesting  an  is,  62 

Linnaeus  quoted  as  to  aphides,  67 

Locust,  ants  apparently  deceived 
by  a  leaf-like,  GO 

Jjvniechum  fed  by  ants,  76 

Long,  Col.,  as  to  the  sense  of 
hearing  among  certain  ants,  226 

Longevity  of  workers  of  Imkiux 
nif/i-r,  38,  42;  of  queen  ants.  !>,  -iO 

Lowne,  Mr.,  (juoted  asto  the  func- 
tions of  ocelli,  1 83 

Lund,  M.,  quoted  as  to  the  intel- 
ligence of  ants,  230 

Lyc(pna  pscvdarijiolusf,  ants  seen 
licking  tlie  larva  of,  08 

MCCOOK,  Mr.,  quoted  as  to 
the  adoption  of  a  queen  by 
Crematogaster,  34  ;  as  to  honey- 
ants,  48  ;  as  to  the  grain-tields 
of  the  Texan  harvesting  ant,  02  ; 
as  to  ants  licking  the  larva  of  a 
butterfly,  68  ;  on  reco^^nition  by 
smell  among  ants,  127 

Miirkel  quote<l  as  to  insects  kept 
by  F.  rvfa^  74 

Maimonides  as  to  the  ownership  of 
ant -stores  of  grain,  59 

Males  only  produced  by  eggs  laid 
by  workers  among  l)ees,  wasps, 
and  ants,  36,  37  ;  of  Ancnjates 


MYR 

wingless,    86;    of    Tomognathm 
win^de.ss,  87  note 

Mandibles  of  ants,  11  ;  pointed  in 
J^oli/trt/us.  18;  but  tootbless, 
82 ;  sabre-like  in  S.  JTnbrri,  84 

Marking  ants,  bees,  and  wasps, 
metliods  of,  5 

Meer  Hassan  Ali,  as  to  harvesting 
ants,  60 

Mental  powers  of  ants  difTer  from 
tliose  of  men  in  degree  rather 
than  in  kind,  181 

Metamorphoses  undergone  by  in- 
sects, 8 

*  Metamorphoses  of  Insects,' 
quoted,  30 

Mexico,  honey-pot  ants  in,  10,  47 

Michael,  Mr.,  description  of  Uio- 
pcdu  by  421) 

Mirrophone,  experiment  with,  225 

Mimicry,  protective,  instances  of, 
66 

Mischna,  rules  in,  respecting  ant- 
boards  of  grain,  51) 

Mites,  anfs  infested  by,  26,  1)8; 
new  species  in  nests  of  LaKiiis 
Jianis,  420 

Mocipierys,  M.,  on  the  tenacity  ol 
the  ».ite  of  the  ant,  06 

Mogixridge,  Mr.,  on  harvesting 
ants,  61 

Morality  among  ants,  question  as 
to,  03  ;  among  liees,  285 

Mosaic  theory  of  the  vision  of  com- 
pound eyes,  1  84 

Moseley,  Mr.  H.  N.,  quoted  as  to 
the  connection  between  ants 
and  certain  epiphytes,  58 

Mouth  of  ant  deseri))ed,  1 1 

Miilh-r,  his  observations  on  Cln- 
rif/er,  76  ;  on  the  mosaic  theory 
of  vision,  184;  on  the  colour 
sense  in  bees,  307 ;  on  blco 
flowers,  310 

Mushrooms  grown  by  ants,  57 

Myrmcnna  iMtrcillii,  the  eye  ia. 
11  ;  their  mcnle  of  defence,  16; 
said  to  be  phlegmatic  in  disposi 
tion,  27 


INDEX. 


445 


MYR 

^fyrmerovyxtv^  mcancauuSj  honey- 
hoUling  individuals  among,  10: 
foraircrs  bring  supi)lies  of  honey 
to  them,  47 

AJyrmccoiiia  armata,  its  associa- 
tion with  ants,  58 

Myrmf;c)philous  insects,  68-  78 

Myriiiira  ruyinodln,  period  of  lar- 
val life  in,  7 ;  length  of  life  of 
males  of,  0 ;  oii^in  of  a  nest  of, 
32  ;  observations  on  a  wounded 
siwcimen  of,  06  ;  experiments  as 
to  recognition  among,  iL'l  ;  as 
to  couimuniciition  among.  164, 
348;  illu.stration  of  terminal 
portion  of  antenna  of,  227  ; 
sense-organ  in  tibia  of,  233; 
their  unwillingness  to  face  a  fall, 
245 

—  scahrinndis,  cowardly  nature 
of,  27  ;  Platyarthrus  a  guest  of, 
75 

Mynmnd(r,  one  of  the  tlirec  fa- 
milies of  ants,  1  ;  correlation  of 
form  of  knot  with  power  of 
8ti.-^ing  in  the,  13 

NECTARIES,  uses  of,  56 
Nests  for  ants,  ariiticial,  de- 
scribed, 3,  164  ;  of  ants  classified 
and  described,  23,  \:c. ;  three 
modes  of  formation  of,  sng- 
pes*ed.  .30;  of  lunciiix  niytrde- 
scribed  and  illustrated,  42 

Neutcm  among  ants,  prcduction 
of  dillerent  forms  of,  22 

Kormann,  M.  de,  honey  ants 
brought  from  Mexico  by,  47 


/^'iCh^Lfjf^S,  or  simple  eye  in 
' -^  ants,  10;  absent  in  the  work- 
ers of  some  species,  1 1  ;  ori'^in 
oC,  182 
iKccicina  ('Cf)haJotcg,  the  Saiiba 
ant,  five  kinds  of  individuals 
among,  21  ;  extent  of  nest  of, 
24:  leaf  cutting  among,  237; 
intelligence  of,  230 


POG 

O'^cojihyllay  sting  in,  13 

Organ  of  sense  in  antenna  of  ant, 

226  ;  in  tibia  of   Grylhis,  231  ; 

in  tibia  of  ant,  232 
Ormerod,  Mr.,  as  to  the  sense  of 

hearing  among  wasps,  221 
Ova  of  aphis  described,  71  note 


PARASITES  of  ants,  26,  67,  74. 
431,433;  of  bees,  26 

Pass-word,  experiments  as  to, 
among  ants,  108  ;  supposed  use 
of,  among  bees  and  ants,  126 ; 
exi-eriments  as  to,  with  pupie, 
120;  existence  of,  apparently 
disproved,  147 

I'ets,  domestic  animals  kept  as,  by 
savages,  77 

Phases  of  life  among  men  and 
ants,  analogy  between,  01 

Pheidole  meyaccpkala^  pugnacity 
of  small  workers  of,  20 ;  experi- 
ment as  to  power  of  communi- 
cation among,  180;  sense-organ 
in  tibia  of,  233 

—  pallid ula.  the  eye  in,  11  ;  com- 
munication among,  168 

—  jn-oridrns,  its  s  orage  of  grass 
seeds,  60 

Phoni    foriHicnrvni,     its    attacks 

on  ants,  20,  74  ;  described,  432 
Phorid:c  parasitic  on  ants,  67,  74  ; 

new  genus  and  species  of,  431 
Pigs  kept  as  pets  l)y  savages,  77 
Phi fjioU'j)is  pyymcra,  t\\c  eye  in,  11 
Plants,    relation    of   ants    to,  50 ; 

their  different  modes  of  defence 

against  un})rofitable  insects,  51; 

benefited  by  the  action  of  in 

sectivorous  ants,  50 
Plato,  epigram  by,  quoted,  185 
PI  a  fya  ft  h  r  ua  IL  iffm  a  nxcyyii .  a  g  u  est 

of  the    ants,    75;    experimenti 

with,  00 

Plat  'I phoraLul)hocldi^<M\  described 
431 

PoyojiomyrmcT  harhatm^  stores 

'ant-rice,'  01 


IIG 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 


447 


POI 


STE 


BIG 


Prison  ejected  by  F.trmlca  riifo,  15 

I'v/'.-shK,  robberj'  amons;,  2H6  ;  P. 
yallica^  a  specimen  of,  kept  for 
nine  months,  315 

Poli/f7'(/vs  rufesceiis,  the  eye  in,  11 ; 
its  mode  of  combat,  18;  indi- 
vidual courage  of,  27;  males 
produced  from  ejigs  laid  by 
workers  among,  H'J,  45  :  greatly 
dependent  on  its  slaves,  80,  83  ; 
slave-making  exj>edition  of,  de 
scribed,  81  ;  degrading  effect  of 
slave-holding  on,  89;  impri.soned 
friends  and  strangers  equally 
neglected,  105;  power  of  com- 
munication among,  158,  180 

Polygonuvi  amjjhifnnm,  glandular 
hairs  absent  from  specimens 
growing  in  water,  56 

PoiH-ra  contracta,  the  eye  in,  11 

Poneridfc,  one  of  i  he  three  families 
of  ants.  1  ;  form  of  knot  in,  13; 
stridulating  ap{)aratus  in,  230 

Priinulacvie,  evolution  of  colour 
in,  301) 

Protective  mimicry,  Gfi 

Pupae  of  ants,  7  ;  experimented  on 
as  to  power  of  recognition 
among  ants,  1 29 

Python  said  to  have  been  de- 
Btroyed  by  the  Driver  ants,  64 


QUEEN  ants,  longevity  of,  9, 
41;  their  wings,  12;  several 
in  a  nest,  19;  reluctance  of  ants 
to  adopt  a  new,  32 ;  never  pro- 
duced from  workers'  eggs,  36 ; 
seldom  produced  in  captivity, 
40  ;  treatment  of  a  dead,  1(»8 
Queen  bees,  limited  nature  of  de- 
votion of  subjects  to,  287 


-DA  NUNCULA  CE.^,    correl  a- 
-^     tion  of  colour  with  speciali- 
sation of  form  in,  308 
Recognition   of    friends   by   ants, 
experiments  on,   108,  &c.,    119, 


Arc;  after  long  separation,  123 
233,  333  ;  means  of,  125  ;  among 
bees,  126 ;  experiments  as  to, 
with  pupa},129-14V  ;  as  to  sister 
ants  brought  up  separately,  117; 
proved  to  be  communal,  not  per- 
sonal, 152 

Relations,  behaviour  of  ants  to,  93 

Retrogn'S'^ion  of  organs  :  of  sting, 
14  ;  of  wings,  15  :  of  eyes.  75 

Roads  made  by  ants,  25 

Robbery  among  bees,  285 

Rufescent  ants  on  a  slave- making 
expedition,  81 


(^T.    FAROE  A  IT,    Lepeletier  de, 

)^  on  the  origin  of  awts'  nests, 
31  ;  on  the  benevolence  of  ants, 
94  ;  as  to  hearing  among  insects 
221 

Saiibaant,  see  d'A-odoma  crphnlotn 

Sauvages,  Abbe  Boisier  de,  on  the 
connection  between  ants  and 
aphides,  68 

Savage.  Rev.  T.  S.,  *  On  the  Habits 
of  Driver  Ants,'  quoted,  20,  63, 
64 

Scavengers,  some  ant-guests  may 
serve  as,  75 

Scent,  power  among  ants  of  track- 
ing by,  124,  171;  experiments 
with  dilTcrent  kinds  of,  233  ; 
imi)ortance  of,  to  ants,  258 

Sclienk,  Aiicrgates  discovered  by, 
86 

Secretion  of  aphis  retained  till  re- 
quired by  ants,  69  ;  of  Clanger 
nnd  jyuiarda  as  food  for  ants, 
75,  76 

Seeds  of  violet  collected  by  ants, 
26  ;  store<l  by  ants,  60 ;  and 
prevented  from  sprouting,  61 

Senses   of  jints,    182;    organs   of, 

226,  2.S2 
Sentinels  among  bees,  288 
Sex  of  eggs  de'crmined  by  treat- 
ment, 40,  41 
Sie>'olil,  v<tn.  (»n  sense-organs  Id 


TYN 


Grjfllm^  231  ;  on  robbery  among 
Polltifcs^  286 
Sight,  how  far  ants  are  guided  by, 

251,  258,  266.  270 
Signals  given  by  ants,  158 
Slave-liolding,  structural  changes 
induced    bv,    82;    degradation 
caused  by,  89 
Slave-making  ants,  18  ;  expedition 

of,  81 
Slavery  among  ants,  origin  of,  79 ; 

degrading  tendency  of,  82-89 
Smell  of  Myiinecina  possibly  pro- 
tective,    17  ;     on     recognition 
among  ants  by,  127;  sense  of, 
among  ants,  233  ;  the  probable 
means    of    recognition    amons: 
bees,  281  ;  sense  of,  keen  among 
bees,  288 
Snake  killed  by  Driver  ants,  64 
Soldiers  among  ants,  20  ;  those  of 
Saiiba  do  not  fight,  22 ;  their 
origin,  22 
Sitlcnojjids  fiigax,  the  eye  in,  11; 

the  enemy  of  its  hosts,  78 
Solomon  on  the  foresight  of  the 

ant,  59,  60 
Sound,  apparent  insensibility  of 
ants  to,  222 ;  possible  existence 
of,  beyond  human  auditory 
range,  223,  233 ;  how  produced 
by  MufiUa^  229 ;  apparent  in- 
sensibility of  bees  to,  290 
Special isiition  of  form  in  flowers 

correlated  with  colour,  308 
Spectrum,  experiments  as  to  per- 
ception of,  by  ants,  198 
Kpiders,  their  intelligence  in  es- 
caping the  Ecitons,  66 ;  mimick- 
ing an's,  66 
Spiracles  of  ant.  position  of,  12,  14 
Stcnamma  Uoodfrardii,  the  eye  in, 
1 1  ;  found  exclusively  in  nests 
of  Formica,  78 
Stethoscope  like  organs  in  antenna 

of  ant,  228 
Sting  in  ants,  possible  correlation 
of.  with  form  of  knot,  13;  pro- 
bable common  origin  of,  in  ants, 


bees,  and  wasps,  14;  atrophied 
condition  of, in  Formica,  IT);  the 
loss  of,  fatal  to  bees,  283 

Strangers,  behaviour  of  antfi  to- 
wards, 104,  109,  119,333 

Stridulating  apparatus  in  Mutdla^ 
229  ;  in  ants,  230 

Sti'oiujt/hgnathiis  Hubcri,  its  mode 
of  slave-making,  84 

—  tcstdccus,  the  eye  in,  11;  slave- 
holders ill  spite  of  tlieir  feeble- 
ness, 84  ;  their  degradation,  87, 
89 

Sul])hate  of  quinine,  experiment 
with,  as  to  ant  vision,  216 

Surgical  use  of  ant  heads  in  Bra- 
zil, 96 

Sykes,  Mr.,  quoted  as  to  seed- 
collecting  ants,  60 


^pA]\IE  wasp,  behaviour  of  3,  315 
JL     TajtiniKnn,  length  of  period  of 

larval  life  in,  7 
—  erraticitm,  the  eye  in,  11  ;  ^hftir 

agility,   24;  Hela-rius  in   nests 

of,  77 
Teazle,  possible  uses  of  leaf-cup 

in,  .52 
Tetranioriurn  Cfrstjntvm,  the  eye  in, 

1 1  ;  feigns  death  as  a  defence, 

17;   alleged  greediness  of,  27; 

enslaved    by    Strong thigriathuH, 

84  ;  entire  dependence  of  Ancr- 

gatex  upon,  85 
Texas,  harvesting  ants  in,  61 
'f/tiastij/Ziila  angulata  in  ants'  nests, 

77 
Thorax  of  ant  described.  12 
Tibia  of   GriilhiK,  sense  organ  in, 

23 1  I  of  Luftitis,  232  ;  of   Lacns- 

tidu',  233 
Tomoguathns    sublcrvis ,     only 

workers  of,  known,  87  note 
Tracks  of  anhs  illustrated,  251-257 
Tuning-forks,   experiments   with, 

222 
Tunnels  formed  by  ants,  25 
Tyndall,     Professor,     experiment 


Plate  2. 


448 


INDEX. 


TYP 


iwith  sensitive  flames,  225  ;  as  to 
sense  organs  in  antenna),  228 
Typhloponi\  absence  of  eyes  in,  11 


ULTRA-RED  rays,  ants  not  sen- 
sitive to,  2()G 
Ultra- violt't  rays,  sensitiveness  of 

ants  to,  201-220 
Uro^fOila  for  mica  lia  described,  429 


TJARIETIES  produced  in  beetles 
\       frequenting  nests  of  various 

ants,  77 
Verrall,  G.  H.,  Esq., description  of 

a  new  genus  of  Phoridte,  2i\,  431 
Vi'Kjui      (jvrmanicay       expt'riraent 

with,  as  to  communication,  415 
—    rtilgarhy     experiment    as    to 

colour  with,  316 
Vibrations    producing    sensations 

of  sound  and  colour,  225 
Violet  light,  avoidance  of,  by  ants, 

189 
Violets,  colours  of,  309 :  seeds  of, 

carried  into  nests  by  Ltunm,  26, 

59 
Viscidity    of    plants,    a    deTence 

against  insects,  55,  56 
Vifiiun   among  ants,   182;  of  the 


WOR 


ocelli,   1 83  ;  of  compound  ejm, 
184  :  limits  of,  199,  20G,  219 


T17AI.KER,  Mr.,  honey  ant  sen*. 

VV       from  Australia  by,  48 

Wasps,  occassional  fertility  of 
workers  among,  36 ;  sense  of 
hearing  among,  221  ;  experi- 
ments with,  311,  415;  more 
clever  than  bees  in  finding  their 
way,  313;  their  courage,  314; 
account  of  a  tame  one,  315; 
their  colour  sense,  316;  their 
industry,  421 

Water,  ants'  visits  prevented  by, 


62 


Wesmael,  M.,  describes  Mynueco- 
cy»tu»,  47 

Westwood,  Mr.,  on  the  production 
of  neuters,  22  ;  on  the  sound 
produced  of  Miitilin,  229 

Wirgs  of  ants,  atrophv  of,  among 
the  workers,  12  ;  pulled  off  after 
flij^ht  by  the  queen  ants,  12,  19 

Winter,  aphis  eggs  tended  by  ant« 
through  the,  70 

Workers  among  ants  alwajs  wing- 
less, 12;  varieties  of  form 
among,  19-22;  ocaisional  fer- 
tility of,  35  ;  lougevi*  y  of.  87. 86 


•■^.. 


I.  Atta  barbara    9    major.  3.    Pheidole  megacephala    0    major. 


2. 


a 


a 


i( 


a 


minor.  4. 

5.   Formica  rufa. 


(<, 


a 


mmor. 


Plate  3. 


I.   QEcodoma  cephalotes  ^   major. 


2. 


(( 


« 


(( 


minor. 


3.  Stenamma  Westwoodii   5 

4.  Solenopsis  fugax  " 


Plate  4. 


/      ^ 


a^k•^ 


Camponotus   infiatus        0.        3.    Strongylognathus  testaceus    ^ 


2.  Tet 


ramorium  caespitum 


K 


4.   Anergates  atratulus    ? 


:>ji^».veiB«fg-  ,::Sk^  iftj^  ^ytf^B8aeilr"-^fe^fcHv.  .V7<iawiii-a«.:i. 


Plate  5. 


3 


7 


6 


8 


1.   Lasius  flavus    ? . 

5- 

Beckia  albinos. 

2.         "              ''         $. 

6. 

Aphis. 

3.        "           "     Larva. 

7- 

Platyarthrus   Hoffmanseggii 

4.        **           "     Pupa. 

8. 

Claviger  foveolatus. 

D.   APPLETON  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


THE   LIBRARY  OF    USEFUL  STORIES. 

Each  book  complete  in  itself.     By  writers  of  authority  in  their  various 
spheres,     itmo.     Cloth^  40  cents  per  volume. 

NOW    READY. 

^HE  STORY  OF  THE  STARS.     By  G.  F.  Cham- 

1       BERS,  F.  R.  A.  S.,  author   of  "  Handbook    of   Descriptive   and 
Practical  Astronomy,"  etc.     With  24  Illustrations. 

"The  author  presents  his  wonderful  and  at  times  bewildering  facts  in  a  bright  and 
cheery  spirit  that  makes  the  book  doubly  attractive." — Boston  Homt  Jouvfuil. 

IIE  STORY  OF  ''PRIMITIVE''  MAN.     By 

Edward  Clodd,  author  of  "  The  Story  of  Creation,"  etc. 

"No  candid  person  will  deny  that  Mr.  Clodd  has  come  as  near  as  any  one  at  this 
time  is  likely  to  come  to  an  authentic  expositiori  of  all  the  information  hitherto  gained 
rcijarding  the  eariier  stages  in  the  evolution  of  mankind." — Netv  Vvrk  Sun. 

HTHE  STORY  OF   THE  PLANTS.      By   Grant 

J.        Ai.LEN,  author  of  **  Flowers  and  their  Pedigrees,"  etc. 

"  As  fascinating  in  style  as  a  first  class  story  of  fiction,  and  is  a  simple  and  clev 
exposition  of  plant  life." — Boston  Hoii:e  yourual. 


T 


T 


T 


HE    STORY    OF    THE    EARTH.     By  H.  G. 

Sef.ley,  F.  R.  S.,   Professor  of  Geography  in   King's  College, 
London.     With  Illustrations. 

"  It  is  doubtful  if  the  fascinating  story  of  the  planet  on  which  we  live  has  beer  pre- 
viously told  so  clearly  and  at  the  same  lime  so  coniprthensively," — Boston  Advertiser. 

'HE  STORY  OF   THE  SOLAR   SYS  TEAL.     By 
G.  F.  Chambers,  F.  R.  A.  S. 

"  Any  intelligent  reader  can  get  clear  ideas  of  the  movements  of  the  worlds  about  us. 
.  .  .  Will  impart  a  wise  knowledge  of  astronomical  wonders.  ' — Chicago  Intcr-Ocean. 

n^IIE  STOR  Y  OF  A  PIECE  OF  COAL,     By  E. 
1       A.  Martin,  V.  G.  S. 

"  The  value  and  importance  of  this  volume  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  its  size  and 
outward  appearance." — Chicago  Record. 

HE  STORY  OF  ELECTRICITY.     By  John 

MUNRO,  C.  E. 

"The  bnok  is  an  excellent  one,  crammed  full  of  facts,  and  deserves  a  place  not 
al.,ne  on  the  desk  of  the  student,  but  on  the  workbench  of  the  practical  electrician." — 
New  York  Times. 


T 


T 


HE  STORY  OF  EXTINCT  CIVILIZATIONS 
OF  THE  EAST.  \\y  Robert  Anderson,  M.  A.,  F.  A.  S., 
author  of  "  Early  England,"  "  The  Stuart  Period,"  etc. 


New  York-   D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


X 


^ 


D.   APPLETON  &   CO.'S   PUBLICATIONS. 


n^HE  INTELLECTUAL  RISE  IN  ELECI KICl- 

TV.    A  History.    By  Park  Benjamin,  Ph.  D.,  LL.B.,  Member 

of  the  American  Institute  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  Associate 

Member  of  the  Society  of  Naval  Architects  and  Marine  Kngi- 

neers,  etc.     With  Three  Portraits.     8vo.     Cloth,  $4.00. 

"  Mr.  Renjamin  surely  has  produced  a  book  that  will  find  interested  readers  through- 
out the  entire  woild,  for  wherever  electricity  goes  as  a  coinniLicial  commodity  a  desiic 
to  know  of  its  discovery  anil  development  will  be  awjtkeneii,  and  the  desire  can  he  salis- 
fiei  through  no  more  dchglitful  channel  than  through  the  iuferniation  cunuincd  in  this 
boolc."— -VVw  York  Times. 

"Mr.  Benjamin  has  pe  formed  his  self  imposed  task  in  an  admirable  fashion,  and 
has  produced  a  work  which  has  a  distinct  historical  value."— /.Vctf^/y//  Ettgle. 

"  A  work  that  takes  a  high  rank  as  a  history  dealing  with  an  abstruse  topic,  but 
bestowing  on  it  a  wealth  of  vital  inteiest,  pouring  over  it  streams  of  needed  light,  and 
touching  all  with  a  graceful  literary  skill  that  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired."— .V^w  York 
Mail  and  Express. 

"  A  very  comprehensive  and  thorough  study  of  electricity  in  its  infancy.  He  pre- 
sents  his  mater  clearly  and  in  an  interesting  form  His  volume  is  one  of  opecial  value 
to  the  electrical  student,  and  the  average  reader  will  read  it  with  interest."- iV/Vw«i/<Xy^ 
you  run/. 

"  l  he  work  is  distinctly  a  history.  No  technical  preparation  is  required  to  read  it, 
and  it  i>  free  from  .ill  mathjmatical  or  other  discussions  which  might  involve  difficulty. 
The  style  is,  in  the  main,  excellent. " — Sch-ucf. 

"A  remark.ahle  book.  ...  A  book  which  every  clectrici.nn  ought  to  have  at  hand 
for  reference— historic,  not  scientific  reference— and  which  will  prove  instructive  reading 
to  the  thoughtful  of  all  classes."- iVftt/  i'orl-  Hernld. 

"The  most  complete  and  satisficory  siirscy  of  lh*«  subject  yet  presented  to  the 
reading  public.  ...  A  volume  which  will  appeal  to  an  ever.incre.ising  bo<]y  ..f  pccple  ; 
and  as  a  reference  book  it  will  prove  invaluable  to  writirs  on  the  development  and  utility 
of  electricity." — PhilaJelf>hia  Ez'cnin^  Hnuctiii. 

"The  leading  work  on  the  subj-ct  in  any  language."— A^m*  York  Evening  Pest. 

"One  of  the  best  works  devoted  to  the  development  of  tie  great  force  of  modern 
time  that  has  been  published  in  the  la.'t  decade." — Vc-c  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"  The  author  has  written  a  p'ain  and  simple  history  of  the  beginnings  of  elcctric.d 
science,  none  the  less  but  rather  the  more  valuable  because,  without  dilution  or  s  ic- 
r.fice  of  accuracy,  he  has  excluded  mere  technicalities  and  gratuitous  scientific  demon- 
strations. " — /  Philadelphia  Press. 


New  York :   D.  APPLETON   &  CO.,  72  Filth  Avenue. 


D.   APPLETON    &    CO.'S    PUBLICATIONS. 


H 


ISTOR  V  OF  THE  PEOPLE 

OF    THE    UNITED    STATES, 

from    the    Revolution    to   the    Civil 

War.     By  John  Bach  McMaster. 

To   be    completed    in    six   volumes. 

Vols.  I,  II,  III,  and   IV  now  ready. 

8vo.     Cloth,  gilt  top,  $2.50  each. 

"...  Prof  McMaster  has  told  us  what  no  other 
historians  have  told.  .  .  .  The  skill,  the  animation,  the 
briglitness,  the  force,  and  the  charm  with  which  he  ar- 
rays the  facts  bef  Te  us  are  such  that  we  can  hardly 
Conceive  of  more  interesting  reading  for  an  American 
citizen  who  care.",  to  know  the  nature  of  those  causes 
whidi  have  made  not  only  him  but  his  environment 
and  the  opportunities  life  has  given  him  what  they  are." 
JOHN  BACH  MCMASTER.        — ^-  Y.  Times. 

"Those  who  can  read  b.'tween  the  lines  may  discover  in  these  pages  ronstant 
evidences  of  cat c  and  skill  and  faithful  labor,  of  which  the  old  time  superficial  essay- 
ists, compiling  liljrary  n  it.-s  on  dates  and  striking  events,  had  no  conception,  but 
to  the  general  reader  the  fluent  narrative  gives  no  hint  of  the  conscientious  labors, 
for-reachin4.  world-wide,  vast  and  yet  microscopically  minute,  that  give  the  strength 
and  value  which  are  felt  rather  than  seen.  This  is  due  to  the  art  of  presentation. 
The  author's  position  as  a  scientific  workman  we  may  .accept  on  the  .abund.ant  tes- 
tiaioay  of  t'le  experts  who  know  the  solid  worth  of  liis  work:  his  skill  as  a  literary 
artist  we  can  all  appreciate,  the  charm  of  his  style  being  .self-evident." — Philadelphia 
Telegraph. 

"The  third  volume  contains  the  brilliantly  written  and  fascinating  story  of  the  prog- 
ress and  doings  of  the  pe  >ple  of  this  coun:ry  from  the  era  of  the  Louisiana  purchase 
to  the  opening  scenes  of  the  second  w.tr  wit!i  Great  liritain— say  a  period  of  ten  years. 
In  every  page  of  the  bo  )k  the  reader  fin.ls  that  fascinating  flow  of  narrative,  that 
clear  anil  lucid  style,  and  that  penetrating  powei  of  thought  and  judgment  which  dis- 
tinguished the  previous  volumes." — Columbus  State  Journal. 

"Prof.  McM.astor  has  more  than  fulfilled  the  promises  made  in  his  first  volumes, 
and  his  work  is  constantlv  growing  better  and  more  valu.able  as  he  brings  it  nearer 
to  our  own  time.  His  style  is  clear,  simple,  and  idiornatic,  and  there  is  just  enough 
of  the  critical  spirit  in  the  narrative  to  guide  the  xc:\6.<^x." —Boston  Herald. 

"  Take  it  all  in  all,  the  History  promises  to  be  the  ideal  American  histor>'.  Not  so 
much  given  to  dates  and  battles  and  great  events  as  in  the  flict  that  it  is  like  a  great 
panorama  of  thj  people,  r^vealinz  their  inner  life  and  action.  It  contains,  with  all  its 
sober  facts,  the  spice  of  personalities  and  incidents,  which  relieves  every  page  from 
dullness." — Chicag>  Inter-Ocean. 

"  History  written  in  this  picturesque  style  will  tempt  the  most  heedless  to  read. 
Prof.  McM.aster  is  more  than  a  stylist:  he  is  a  student,  .and  his  History  abounds  in 
evidences  of  research  in  quarters  not  before  discovered  by  the  historian." — Chicago 
Tribune. 

"  A  History  xw''  generis  which  has  made  and  will  keep  its  own  place  in  ourlitera- 
turc." — Xew  I'ork  ET'ening  Post. 

"His  style  is  vigorous  and  his  treatment  candid  and  impartial."— AVw  York 
Tribune. 


New  York  .  D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


D.  APPLETON  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


T 


HE  RISE  AND  GROWTH  OF  THE  ENG- 
LISH NATION.  With  Special  Reference  to  Epochs  and 
Crises.  A  History  of  and  for  the  People.  By  W.  H.  S. 
Aubrey,  LL.  D.     In  Three  Volumes.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $4.50. 

"  The  merit  of  this  work  is  intrinsic.  It  rests  on  the  broad  intelligence  and  true 
philosophy  of  the  method  employed,  and  the  coherency  and  accuracy  of  the  results 
reached.  The  scope  of  the  work  is  marvelous.  Never  was  there  metre  crowdetl  into 
three  small  volumes.  But  the  saving  of  space  is  ni>t  hy  the  sacrifice  of  substance  or 
of  style.  The  broadest  view  of  the  facts  and  forces  embraced  by  the  subject  is  exhibited 
with  a  clearness  of  arrangement  and  a  dehnitcness  of  application  that  render  it  per- 
ceptible to  the  simplest  apprehension." — A«t'  York  Mail  and  Exptess. 

*'  A  useful  and  thorough  piece  of  work.  One  of  the  best  treatises  which  the 
general  reader  can  use." — London  Daily  Chronicle. 

"Conceived  in  a  popular  spirit,  yet  with  strict  regard  to  the  modem  standards. 
The  title  is  fully  borne  out.  No  want  of  color  in  the  descriptions." — London  Daily 
News. 

"  The  plan  laid  down  results  in  an  admirable  English  \\\^x.ory."— London  Morning 
Post. 

"Dr.  Aubrey  has  supplied  a  want  His  method  is  undoubtedly  the  right  one." — 
Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

"  It  is  a  distinct  step  forward  in  history  writing;  as  far  ahead  of  Green  as  he  was  of 
Macaulay,  though  on  a  different  line.  Green  gives  the  picture  of  England  at  different 
times — Aubrey  goes  deeper,  showing  the  causes  which  led  to  the  changes."— A'^w 
yor/t  li^'orld. 

"  A  work  that  will  commend  itself  to  the  student  of  history,  and  as  a  comprehen- 
sive and  convenient  reference  book."^yA^  Argonaut. 

"Contains  much  that  the  ordinary  reader  can  with  difficulty  find  elsewhere  unless 
he  has  access  to  a  library  of  special  works."—  Chiin^o  />i,il. 

"  Up  to  date  in  its  narration  of  fact,  and  in  its  elucidation  of  those  great  principles 
that  underlie  all  vital  and  worthy  history.  .  .  .  The  painstaking  division,  along  with 
the  admirably  complete  in<lcx,  will  make  it  easy  work  for  any  studtnt  to  get  dclinite 
views  of  any  era,  or  any  particular  feature  of  it.  .  .  .  The  work  strikes  one  as  being 
more  comprehensive  ttian  many  that  cover  far  more  space."— yA«r  Christian  In- 
telligencer. 

"  One  of  the  most  elaborate  and  noteworthy  of  recent  contributions  to  historical 
literature." — Xe-w  Haven  Register. 

"  As  a  popular  history  it  possesses  great  merits,  and  in  many  particulars  is  excelled 
by  none.  It  is  full,  careful  as  to  dates,  maintains  a  generally  praiseworthy  impartiality, 
and  it  is  interesting  to  read." — Buffalo  Express. 

*'  These  volumes  are  a  siirnrise  and  in  their  way  a  m.nrvcl.  .  .  .  They  cor>siitute  an 
almost  encylopacdia  of  Fnplish  history,  condensing  in  a  marvelous  manner  the  facts 
and  principles  developed  in  the  history  of  the  English  nation.  .  .  .  'the  work  is  one  of 
unsurpassed  vahie  to  the  historiciil  student  or  even  the  general  reader,  anil  when  more 
widely  known  will  no  doubt  be  appreciated  as  one  of  the  remarkable  contributions  to 
EnglUh  history  published  in  the  century." — Chicat^o  Vni7>ersalist. 

"  In  every  page  Dr.  Aubrey  writes  with  the  far  reaching  relation  of  contemporary 
incidents  to  the  whole  subject.  The  amount  of  matter  these  three  volumes  contain  is 
marvelous.  1  he  style  in  which  they  are  written  is  more  tlian  satisfactory.  .  .  .  The 
work  is  one  of  unusoal  importance." — tiart/ord  Post. 


New  York :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


Mbd  *<UK  Mi-4.t 


\.s«s^^3^t»4mA 


D.   APPLETON  &   CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


T 


HE  BEGINNERS  OF  A  NA  TION.     A  History 

of  the  Source  and  Rise  of  the  Earliest  English  Settlements  in 
America,  with  Special  Reference  to  the  Life  and  Character  ol 
the  People.  The  first  volume  in  A  Histor)'  of  Life  in  the 
United  States.  13y  Edward  Eggleston.  Small  8vo.  Cloth, 
gilt  top,  uncut,  with  Maps,  ^1.50. 

"  Few  works  on  the  period  which  it  covers  can  compare  with  this  in  point  of  mere 
literary  attractiveness,  and  we  fancy  that  many  to  whom  its  scholarly  value  will  not  ap 
peal  will  read  the  volume  with  interest  and  delight."— AVtw  York  Evening  Post. 

"  Written  with  a  firm  grasp  of  the  theme,  inspired  by  ample  knowledge,  and  made 
attr.-ictivc  by  a  vigorous  and  resonant  style,  the  book  will  receive  much  attention.  It 
is  a  great  theme  the  author  has  taken  up,  and  he  grasps  it  with  the  confidence  of  a 
mxstcr."— AV7t/  York  Times. 

"Mr.  Eggleston's  '  Beginners'  is  unique.  No  similar  historical  study  has,  to  our 
knowledge,  ever  been  done  in  the  same  way.  Mr.  Eggleston  is  a  reliable  reporter  of 
facts;  but  he  is  also  an  exceedingly  keen  critic.  He  writes  history  without  the  effort 
to  meige  the  critic  in  the  historian.  His  sense  of  humor  is  never  dormant.  He  renders 
some  of  the  dullest  passages  in  colonial  annals  actually  amusing  by  his  witty  treatment 
of  them.  He  finds  a  laugh  for  his  readers  where  most  of  his  predecessors  have  found 
yawns.  And  with  all  this  he  does  not  sacrifice  the  dignity  of  history  for  an  instant."— 
Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette. 

"The  delightful  style,  the  clear  flow  of  the  narrative,  the  philo-^ophical  tone,  and 
the  able  an.ilysis  of  men  and  events  will  commend  Mr.  Eggleston's  work  to  earnest 
students." — Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 

"  The  work  is  worthy  of  careful  reading,  not  only  because  of  the  author's  ability  as  a 
literary  artist,  but  because  of  his  conspicuous  proficiency  in  interpreting  the  causes  of 
and  changes  in  American  life  and  character." — Boston  Journal. 

"It  is  noticeable  that  Mr.  Eggleston  has  followed  no  beaten  track,  but  has  drawn 
his  own  conclusions  as  to  the  early  period,  and  they  differ  from  the  gener.illy  received 
version  not  a  little.  The  book  is  stimulating  and  will  prove  of  great  value  to  the  stu- 
dent of  history." — Minneapolis  jfournal. 

"  A  very  interesting  as  well  as  a  valuable  book.  ...  A  distinct  advance  upon  most 
that  has  been  written,  particularly  of  the  settlement  of  New  England." — Newark 
Advertiser. 

"  One  of  the  most  important  books  of  the  ycnr.  It  is  a  work  of  art  as  well  as  ot 
historical  science,  and  its  distinctive  purpose  is  to  give  an  insight  into  the  real  life  and 
character  of  people.  .  .  .  The  author's  style  is  charming,  and  the  history  is  fully  as  inter- 
esting as  a  novel." — Brooklyn  Standard-Union. 

"The  value  of  Mr.  Eggleston's  work  is  in  that  it  is  really  a  history  of 'life,'  not 
merely  a  record  of  events.  .  .  .  The  comprehensive  purpose  of  his  volume  has  been 
excellently  performed.     The  book  is  eminently  icadnUc."— Philadelphia  Times. 


New  York  :  D.   APPLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


D.    APPLETON   AND  COMPANY'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


THE   ANTHROPOLOGICAL   SERIES. 


T 


NOW  READY. 

HE    BEGINNJNGS    OF   ART,      By  Ernst 

Grosse,  Professor  of  Philosophy  in  the  University  of  l*'reil)urg. 
A  new  volume  in  the  Anthropological  Series,  edited  by  Pro. 
fessor  Frederick    Starr.     Illustrated.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $i  75. 

This  is  an  inqairy  into  the  laws  which  contri)!  the  life  and  d-velopmcnt  of  art,  ami 
into  thfi  relations  existim;  l>etween  it  and  certain  fi»rins  of  civiliz;.tioii.  I  he  origin  of 
an  artistic  activity  sho.iU  be  sought  atnontj  the  most  primitive  people-^,  hke  the  native 
Ausirahans,  the  Mincopies  of  the  Andaman  Islands,  the  B  )tociidos  of  Soutli  America, 
»nd  tiie  Kski:nos:  and  with  these  al  >ne  the  author  studies  his  suhjo  t  Their  arts  arc 
regarded  as  a  social  phenom.'n  )ii  and  a  social  function,  and  arc  claNsified  as  aits  t.f  rest 
4nd  arts  of  motion.  The  arts  of  rest  camprise  decoration,  first  of  the  body  by  --carifica- 
uon,  painting,  tattooing,  and  dress;  and  then  of  implements  painting  and  sculpinrc  ; 
while  the  arts  of  motion  are  the  dance  (^a  living  sculpture),  poetry  or  song,  with  rhythm, 
and  music. 

TJ/^OAfAN'S    SHARE    IN   PRIMITIVE    CUL- 
'^'^    TCRE.     P.y  Otis   Tukton    Mason,  A.  M.,  Curator  of  the 
Department  of  Ethnology  in  the  United  States  National  Mu- 
seum.    With  numerous  Illustrations.      i2mo.     Cloth,  !?i.75. 

"  .\  most  interesti.ig  f/si»i^  of  the  revelations  which  science  h.is  made  concerning 
the  habits  of  liiinian  bcinijs  in  primitive  times,  and  especially  as  to  the  place,  the  duties, 
and  the  customs  of  women."—  J'hilaiiti'fi/iia  Ifiqiiircr. 

HE  PYGMIES.     By  A.    de    Quatrefages,  Lite 

Professor  of  Anthropology  at  the   Museum  of  Natural   History, 
Paris.     With  numerous  Illustrations.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.75. 

"  Probably  no  one  was  better  equipped  t  >  illustrate  the  general  subject  th.m  <^)uatre- 
fages  While  Constantly  occupieil  upon  the  anatomical  and  osseous  phases  of  his  sub- 
jfT  t,  he  was  none  the  less  well  acquainted  with  what  literature  ami  history  had  to  say 
concerning  the  pygmies.  .  .  .  This  book  ought  to  be  in  evcr>'  divinity  school  in  which 
man  as  well  as  God  is  studied,  and  from  which  missionaries  go  out  tt>  convert  the  human 
being  of  reality  and  not  the  man  of  rhetoric  and  text-books." — Hoston  Literary  H  'arid. 

HE  BEGINNINGS  OF  WRITING,  By  W.  J. 
Hoffman,  M.  D.  With  numerous  Illustrations.  i2mo.  Cloth, 
$1.75. 

This  interesting  book  gives  a  most  attractive  account  of  the  rude  methods  employed 
by  primitive  man  for  recording  his  d<cds.  I'he  earliest  writing  consists  of  picto;.;raphs 
which  were  traced  on  stone,  wood,  bone,  skins,  and  various  pa|)erlike  substances.  Dr. 
HoffTian  shows  how  the  several  classes  of  symbols  used  in  these  records  arc  to  l>e  in- 
terpreied,  and  traces  the  growth  of  convention  il  siuns  up  to  syllabaries  and  alph.ibcts-  — 
the  two  classes  of  signs  employed  by  modern  peoples. 

IN    PRF.PARAI  ION. 

THE  SOUTH  SEA  ISLAXDHRS.     Hy  Dr.  Schmeltz. 

THE  ZUNI.     By  Frank  Hamilton  Cushing. 

THE  AZTECS.     By  Mrs.  Zelia  Nittall. 

I).  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY.  NEW  YORK. 


T 


T 


«*^«_?iBw*'^fe.^rwi"j';sffi*rr  t?"!  1  *  — 


r  .^■s'Tr'    -!••"<*' 


D.  aPPLFTON   AND  COMPANY'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


F 


New  Volumes  in  the  International  Education  Series. 
ROEBEFS  ED  UCA  TIONAL  LA  WS  FOR  ALL 

TEACHERS.     By  Jamfs  L.  Huohf.s,  In.spector  of  Schools, 
Toronto.      Vol.    41,    International    Education    Series.      i-mo 
Cloth,  $1.50. 

^f  l^'lV'i^  "f  this  book  is  to  give  a  simple  exposition  of  the  most  important  principles 
o  I  r  .ehcl  s  educational  philos,,phy,  and  to  make  suggestions  regarding  the  nDpSi  n 
o    these  principles  to  the  work  of  ,'-.e  schoolroom   in  teaching  and  .mining^'    It     S 

pr- s:^^'SSss;S;^  j;:;Ky'^''  "-^  ^^  ^^^^-^  ^'-  ^^--^  ^^^^^^ 

^CIIOOL  MANAGEMENT  AND  SCHOOL 
METHODS  By  Or.  J.  Baldwin,  Professor  of  Pedagogy  in 
the  University  of  Texas;  Author  of "  Elementary  Psychology 
and  i:ducation  "  and  "  Psychology  applied  to  the  Art  of  Teach- 
ing." Vol.  40,  International  Education  Series.  i2mo.  Cloth 
$1.50. 

,      This  is  eminently  an  ever^-day  working  book  for  teachers;  practical,  suggestive 
nsp.nng.     It  presents  dearly  tne  best  things  achievc<l.  and  points  the  way  fo^  he  te^ 
h.ngs.     School  organization,  school  control,  and  sci:ool  methods  are  studies  anew  from 

b  >dv  n"   'i;"rhV;ri''   ,  .^^"'^rr*     , '  ^^  ^^^^^^^^  •'^  '^^^  ^^^  ^^^^'^'  ''-^  ^^eal  sch<.ol,  e  ™ 
the  Sde  d  "     '"  '  stimulated  to  endeavor  earnestly  to  realize 

JPrinciples  and  practice  of  teach- 

IXG.      By   Jamfs  Joiionnot.      Revised  by   Saraii   Evans 

JoiioNNOT.      i2mo.     Cloth,  .^1.50. 

This  book  embodies  in  a  comp.ict  form  the  results  of  the  wide  experience  and  careful 
reflection  ..fan  enthuMastic  te.cher  and  .^chool  super^■isor.  Mr  Johonnot  as  an  educa- 
tional reformer  helped  thousands  of  Mnggling  teachers  who  hnd'bronght  oxer  the  rural 
school  methods  into  village  school  work.  He  made  life  v  orih  living  to  them.  His 
he  p.  through  the  pages  of  this  book,  will  aid  other  thousands  in  the  same  stru-ele  to 
ad..pt  the  better  methods  that  are  possib'e  in  the  graded  school.  The  teacher  who 
aspires  to  better  his  mstruction  will  read  this  book  with  p-ofit 

J^HE  INTELLECTUAL  AND  MORAL  DE- 
VELOPMENT OF  THE  CHILD.  Containing  the  Chap- 
ters  on  Perception,  Emotion,  Memory,  Imagination,  and  Con- 
sciousness. By  Caurikl  CdMl'AVRK.  Translated  from  the 
French  hy  Marv  E.  Wilson,  B.  L.  Smith  College,  Member  of 
the  (Graduate  Seminary-  in  Child  Study,  University  of  Cali- 
fornia.    !?i.5o. 

The  object  of  the  present  work  is  to  bring  together  in  a  systematic,  pedagocical 
form  what  IS  known  re;:ar.hng  the  developm°nt  of  infant  children,  so  far  as  the  fact^ 
h.^ve  any  be  .ring  upon  early  e.lucation.  It  contains  the  rhaptcrs  on  Perception  Fmo- 
tion.  Memory,  Im  .i^ination,  and  Consci..usness.  Anoth-r  volume  will  f.^llow  com- 
pleting the  w..rk.  and  .lism^smg  the  subjects  of  hidgment.  I  earning  to  Talk.  Activity 
ISIoral  Sense,  C  har.i.  ter.  Morbid  lendencics.  Selfhood,  and  Personality. 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  N^V  YORK. 


T^ wwwrtMi wwtf.fX'jjBWftgHtrn ig ^WWHjB^aPtF^ r  ■^fe^'" 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


Recent  Volumes  of  the  Lnternational  Scientific  Series. 
'J^HE  AURORA  BOREALIS.     ByALFRKD  Angot, 

-*  Honorary  Meteorologist  to  the  Central  Meteorological  Office 
of  France.  With  iS  Illustrations.  Si.75. 
While  there  have  been  many  in»iioj;raphs  in  dilTcrent  lanRuaces  upon  v.iiioiis 
phases  of  this  subject,  there  has  been  a  want  of  a  convenient  and  cnrnpichcnsive  sur- 
vey of  tlie  whole  fiekl.  Prof  Angot  has  cited  t  few  illustr.itioi.s  of  e.nch  class  of  phe- 
nomena, and  without  encumbering  his  book  with  a  mass  of  minor  details,  lie  presents  a 
picture  of  the  actual  state  of  present  knowledge,  with  a  summary  both  ot  definite  results 
and  of  the  points  demanding  additional  investigation. 

rHE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ART  OF  MUSIC. 
By  C.  HuBKRT  H.  Parry,  D.  L.  C,  M.  A.,  etc.    $i.75- 

Dr.  Parry's  high  rank  among  modern  writers  upon  music  assures  to  this  t>fw|«  a 
conlial  welcome.  It  w.as  first  published  as  **  The  Art  of  Music,"  in  octavo  form.  1  he 
title  of  this  revised  edition  lias  been  slightly  amplified,  witli  a  view  of  suggesting  the 
intention  of  the  work  more  efTectually. 

J  TZHAT   IS    ELECTRICITY  1     By  John  Trow- 

'  '^    BRIDGE,  S.  D.,  Rumfortl  Professor  and  Lecturer  on  the  Appli- 
cations of  Science    to  the  Useful  Arts,  Harvard    University. 

Illustrated.  $1.50. 
Prof.  'I'rowbri'lge's  long  experience  both  as  an  oriainal  investigator  and  as  a 
te.nchcr  imp.irts  a  p'.culiar  value  to  this  important  w.-rk.  Finding  that  no  tre.tti^e could 
be  recommended  which  answers  the  question,  What  is  Klectricity  ?  satisfactorily,  he 
has  explained  in  a  popular  way  the  electro  magnetic  theory  of  lii;ht  and  heat,  and  the 
subject  of  periodic  currents  and  electric  waves,  seeking  an  answer  for  his  titular  ques- 
tion in  the  study  of  the  ttansformations  of  energy  and  a  consideration  of  the  hypotheses 
of  movements  in  the  ether. 

TCE-WORK,  PRESENT  AND  PAST.     By  T.  Cx. 

-»  BoNNEY,  D.  Sc,  F.  R.  S.,  F.  S.  A.,  etc.,  Professor  of  Cleology 
at  University  College,  London.  $1.50. 
In  his  work  Prof.  Bonney  has  endeavored  to  give  greater  prominence  to  those 
facts  of  glacial  geology  on  which  all  inferences  must  be  founded.  After  setting  foith 
the  ficts  shown  in  various  regions,  he  has  given  the  various  interpntations  which 
have  been  proposed,  adding  his  comments  and  criticisms  He  also  explains  a  method 
by  which  he  believes  we  can  appro.ximate  to  the  teiii{>enitnre  at  various  places  during 
the  (llacial  epoch,  and  the  different  explanations  of  this  general  refrigeration  arc  staled 
and  briefly  discussed. 

JlyfOVEMENT.     By  E.   J.  Marfy,  Member  of  the 

•^'^  Institute  and  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine;  Professor  at  the 
Colleoe  of  l>.inre  ;  Author  of  "  Animal  M«ichanism."  Trans- 
latedby  Eric  Pritchard,  M.  A.     With  200  Illustrations.    $1.75. 

The  present  work  describes  the  methods  employed  in  the  extended  development  of 
photogratihy  of  moving  objjcts  attained  in  the  last  few  years,  an-l  shows  the  imp-^rtance 
of  such  researches  in  mechanics  and  other  departments  of  physics,  the  fine  arts,  physi- 
ology  and  zoology,  and  in  regulating  the  walking  or  marching  ol  men  and  the  gait  of 
horses.  

D.    APPLETON  AND  COMPANY.  NEW  YORK. 


'Pf 


I 

I 


COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY    LIBRARIES 

This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated  below,  or  at  the 
expiration  of  a  definite  period  after  the  date  of  borrowing,  as 
provided  by  the  library  rules  or  by  special  arrangement  with 
the  Librarian  in  charge. 


m 


1     DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

DATE  BORROWED 

1 

;          DATE  DUE 

i 

1 

» 

i 

1 

C28( 546  »  M25 

*;'■;■ 


.'.  ■■•  ^t 


^ 


^  O  w*  •- 


^ub> 


boc> 


^vi 


and 


wa 


sps 


K 


THE 


^"^^a 


SCIENTIFIC  SKRIES 


fT" 


ii 


mmI 


-d 


■J, 


